I attended WTM London seminars so you didn’t have to. The first thing you should know is that it’s bigger and better! The event took up the length and breadth of Excel London, with roughly 4,000 exhibitors! I initially felt overwhelmed because it had been five years since I attended. Secondly, when I attended WTM in 2018 there was talk of making it more sustainable. This year, I saw strides in that direction. Gone were the copious amounts of handouts in the Media Centre. Everything was placed online and made accessible via the WTM APP. Gone were the one-use plastic bottles; instead we were given a multi-use bottles from Join The Pipe made from sugarcane (green PE), BPA-free. Thirdly the seminars were informative and engaging. WTM London is the premier event on the travel industry calendar and I left feeling fired up to make plans.
What Is WTM?
WTM (World Travel Market) London has been running for 44 years. Over 3 days, this is the travel industry event where ministers meet and global travel teams attend to build their networks. The exhibitors include tourism boards, hoteliers, transport brands, technology services, and world-class experiences. In the run-up to the event, Juliette Losardo, Exhibitor Director, WTM London commented:
“2024 will be the best year yet for World Travel Market, with the largest cohort of exhibitors on record. We’re proud to have representation from destinations across the world and continue to grow participation from non-destination and private sector organisations; there are some big new brands this year and we’re very excited to welcome them!
“World Travel Market truly is home to the world’s travel trade, and this gathering of over 45,000 verified travel professionals represents the most influential meeting point in the travel and tourism calendar.
WTM London 2024 Conference Programme
It was estimated that WTM London 2024 would contribute approximately £200 million to the London economy when it was in town. The itinerary was packed with engaging sessions that were split into the following six conference tracks:
- Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion (DEAI)
- Geo-Economics
- Marketing
- Sustainability
- Travel Trends
- Technology
The conference theatres were colour-coded: Yellow Theatre for Africa, Orange Theatre for Asia, and Purple Theatre in Tech.
Personal Highlights And Takeaways On Tourism Planning
WTM London presents a unique opportunity for travel professionals to book face-to-face meetings, network, and discuss ways of working together. I didn’t book any meetings because I’m working through my plans for Xpat At Home. However, I did join Ronke Adeyemi, Editor of brownbeatytalk online magazine, for some of her meetings, since I freelance with brownbeautytalk. Additionally, I attended some amazing seminars.
My condensed takeaways from the seminars around in tourism planning:
– 8% of the world wants to visit 10% of the world
– Develop new tourist routes with the local communities
Have a 5-year plan that is revisited and be prepared to pivot if consumer demand changes
– host events out of peak season to extend the travel season, tourist boards can create the platforms for the community to benefit from, think long long-term legacy when planning for major events that last past the actual event, put money where it matters
– be socially responsible, consider unconventional partnerships but be intentional from the planning process
– look for the stories and think about what the production (e.g. tv, cinema, streaming platforms) will need (e.g. film office x brands; Visit Bristol with series Rivals and Skins to mention a couple)
– Combine elements of tech and real people to link “main character” energy
– think more regenerative from the bottom-up innovation
– since COVID, people want to get together, travel, and be the main characters in their own stories (e.g. concept of ‘white lotusing’ luxury travel) extend products and services to incorporate travel e.g. Bridgeton Afternoon Tea
– Safeguard heritage areas by dispersing the crowd to other locations, in the area (e.g. Visit Bath X younger demographic due to Netflix’s Bridgeton series)
Takeaways For Digital Marketing and Content Creation
The seminars on digital marketing were totally up my street. Although I could only attend two seminars, they were sufficient to give insight for 2025 content creation.
The highlights were:
– 5 digital marketing trends; Social Media Is the new SEO (search via socials), Hyper Personalisation of AI (customer service travel DNA fit profile based on your travels to build a profile, use customers’ search and booking data to personalise their experience), Podcast mainstream (themes topics form partnerships, people like storytelling, 30% on podcasts listeners retain information and take action), Short video dominates ( people want to know about destinations to book), Purpose-driven marketing (sustainability finally matters, Christian noted the saying ‘people don’t buy what you need, they buy why you do it’, although sustainability and other ethical considerations may not be the reason people first book with a company, they are often the reason people stay loyal for years)
– Short-form video (TikTok) in a unique place to drive high-quality attention, it is the Number 1 format for driving conversions among travel consumers. 77% of TikTok users said it played a role in the discovery/inspiration of a destination or travel-related product. The journey is: set it, search it, book it, share it (1 in 2 TikTok users post about their travel)
In Conclusion
If you remember not else, please remember video content is still the reiging king. TikTok and short form video is now queen. Whatever your role in the travel industry, implement a video content strategy. You will find press releases on the WTM London website.
Are you in the travel industry? What do you do? Did you attend WTM London 2024? What was your highlight or favourite takeaway? Comment below I would love to hear from you.
There’s more travel content on the blog.
Finally, you will find me on Instagram @MsXpat and @xpat-at-home
Feature Image Credit: WTM London
