WTM Portfolio will launch a new online portal, WTM Global Hub, to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world.
The resource hub will go live on 23rd April, offering the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic.
WTM Portfolio – the parent brand for WTM London, WTM Latin America, Arabian Travel Market, WTM Africa, Travel Forward and other key travel trade events – is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub.
The platform will be regularly updated to deal with the evolving demands of the pandemic and to share ideas about preparing for recovery.
Claude Blanc, WTM Portfolio Director, said: “We are living in an extraordinary time and the WTM team is committed to support the travel industry as it adapts to the unique challenges of coronavirus – and prepares for recovery.
“Our annual events connect 110,000 industry professionals from 182 countries, offering unrivalled commercial opportunities and business insights. We’ve always augmented our face-to-face events with valuable online resources throughout the year, and now we’re ramping up that support with WTM Global Hub.”
One of the highlights at the launch will be a webinar from Oxford Economics, which is a leader in global forecasting and quantitative analysis, taking place on 28th April at 4pm BST.
It has predicted that the pandemic will mean that the global GDP will shrink by about 7% in the first half of 2020 but there will be a rebound in H2. Global GDP looks set to fall by 2.8% overall in 2020, with some permanent loss of output for the world’s economy, it forecasts.
During the webinar, Oxford Economics will focus on the effects that Covid-19 is having on the travel and tourism industries around the globe. Attendees will be able to ask questions during the webinar.
A second webinar will feature Simon Calder, the well-known British travel journalist and broadcaster. A regular writer for British newspapers and a commentator about travel on TV, who is also a keen attendee of WTM London.
The third webinar will feature Nick Hall, from the Digital Tourism Think Tank, speaking with Jeremy Jauncey, who has also presented at WTM London. The founder and Chief Executive of travel website Beautiful Destinations, Jauncey is an expert on social media and content creation.
Part of the Global Hub content will be provided in Spanish and Portuguese by WTM Latin America, which will also be adding Latin American content.
The hub will feature seven sections:
- Virtual Events – interactive webinars offering essential advice to help travel businesses cope with the current crisis and thrive in the future.
- Podcasts – expert-led discussions with insights to guide you through these times.
- On-Demand – a library of videos from industry speakers and professionals, offering information and inspiration.
- Blogs – must-read articles with updates and trends from key industry professionals and experts.
- Responsible Tourism – a core element of traditional WTM events, this section will be updated with reports from the responsible and sustainable travel sector.
- Travel Technology – keep abreast of developments in this rapidly changing arena.
- Your Travel Community – a place to share positive news from travel professionals about how they are supporting the industry and others around the world.
Blanc concludes: “Webinars, podcasts, videos, news and blogs from key industry figures will provide travel professionals with a wealth of information, advice and support to cope with the current crisis and plan ahead for a ‘new normal’.
“I am very pleased to announce our first three webinars will feature analysis from Oxford Economics, as well as expert comment from Simon Calder and Jeremy Jauncey, as they will help guide the industry through these tough times and into a post-coronavirus world.
“We will travel again and we will meet at WTM events in the future. Until that time comes, WTM Global Hub will keep you informed, inspired and connected.”
WTM Global Hub can be found at https://hub.wtm.com/.
#IdeasArriveHere #TogetherWeStand #OneTravelIndustry #RoadToRecovery #TravelIndustry #EuropeanTourism #SaveTourism #TogetherInTravel
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About World Travel Market
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises nine leading travel events across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating over £3.71 billion in travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/
Next event: Monday 2nd to Wednesday 4th November 2020 – London #IdeasArriveHere
Travel Forward London is the leading travel technology event, co-located with WTM London. Travel Forward is renowned for showcasing the next-generation technologies for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Over 19,000 travel officials and 150+ innovative solution providers attend for 3 days of cutting-edge insights, open debate and unrivalled networking opportunities. The combination of a 2-day conference, interactive exhibition and Startup showcase makes Travel Forward truly unique. http://travelforward.wtm.com/
Next event: Monday 2nd to Wednesday 4th November 2020 – London #NeverStandStill
BorderlessLive is the festival where content creators, brands and the travel community join each other to learn, collaborate, create, inspire and be inspired. This one-of-a-kind event is open to all who have a keen interest in social media, travel, lifestyle, hospitality, tourism and the future of digital influencer marketing. http://www.borderlesslive.com/
Next event: Friday 11th September to Saturday 12th September 2020 – Tobacco Dock, London
London Travel Week, brought to you by WTM London, is the one-stop-shop for event hosts and visitors to be able to shape the next 12 months of travel together. The festival of events supports the global travel and tourism industry through capturing invaluable news and enhancing industry connections. https://londontravelweek.wtm.com/.
Next event: Friday 30th October to Thursday 6th November 2020
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 27th year, continues to be the focal point for the Middle East’s resilient and ever-changing travel and tourism landscape and prides itself on being the hub of all travel and tourism ideas – providing a platform to discuss insights on the ever-changing industry, share innovations and unlock endless business opportunities. While the live show has been postponed to 16-19 May 2021, ATM will keep the industry connected by running an ATM Virtual Event from 1-3 June 2020 featuring webinars, live conference sessions, speed networking events, one-on-one meetings, plus so much more – keeping the conversations going and delivering new connections and business opportunities online. www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com.
Next events: ATM Virtual Event: Monday 1st to Wednesday 3rd June 2020
Live ATM: Sunday 16th to Wednesday 19th May 2021 – Dubai #IdeasArriveHere
WTM Latin America attracts about 9,000 senior executives and generates about US$374 million of new business deals. Taking place in São Paulo, Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 8,000 unique visitors, including buyers and travel agents, attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. http://latinamerica.wtm.com/.
Next event: Tuesday 20 October to Thursday 22 October 2020 – São Paulo
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Around 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. http://africa.wtm.com/.
Next event: 2021 – Cape Town
RX Global is a leading global events business. It combines face-to-face with data and digital tools to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 500 events in almost 30 countries across 43 industry sectors, attracting more than 7 million participants.
Our events, organised by 35 global offices, leverage industry expertise, large data sets and technology to enable our customers to generate billions of dollars of revenues for the economic development of local markets and national economies around the world. RX Global is part of RELX, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.reedexhibitions.com
Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 20 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, LGBTQ+ travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf and spa travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions. https://www.reedtravelexhibitions.com/
More information, please contact:
Natalia Hartmann
WTM Portfolio Press & PR Executive
E: natalia.hartmann@reedexpo.co.uk
T: +44 (0)20 8439 5535/ M: +44 (0)7775 036 858
