Some takeaways from WTM, the third largest travel trade show in the world, which took place in Excel, London this week:
- Europe is back: Largest ever stands from Portugal and Spain and Italy back to near 2029 levels, Europe had a strong presence at WTM 2023. The British outbound market is wobbling badly since Brexit and flight connectivity has fallen back slightly to many European market, but it still a big prize with Brits travelling in the following proportions: Spain 33pc, France 20pc, Italy 16pc, USA 15pc, Greece 12pc, Portugal 12pc, Germany 10pc, Turkiye 9pc, Netherlands 5pc and Cyprus 5pc.
- The rest of the world is not: Markets with a strong brand presence in London such as the USA are reducing their presence at WTM and concentrating on their own branding events such as Brand USA week.
- Carbon neutral: Sustainability has evolved from a catch-all buzzword to create new series of buzz words of its own. Carbon neutral itineraries are being devised by tourism venues to enhance their green credentials and push back against flight shaming.
- Saudi no more: The stand was bigger than some of the countries which were exhibiting at WTM, with lots of technology and bright screens porting destinations under different names: Riyadh, the Red Sea, eastern province, Neom (see interview with Niall gibbons below), Diriyah. Soudah Peaks and many more. Saudi Arabia is also claiming to be the lead sustainable tourism destination in the market. Go figure..
- Tech grows: technology, once shoehorned into a corner near the East entrance, has doubled its footprint and had some of the most packed stands at the event.
