New WTM London Event to Connect Investors, Destinations and Ministers

A major new event bringing together international investors, government ministers and destinations will be held at the World Travel Market (WTM) London, a leading global event for the travel industry, in November. WTM London 2017 will be held November 6-8 at the ExCeL exhibition center.

Called “IHIF at WTM London: Ministers’ Destination Investment Symposium”, the event is being organised with the International Hotel Investment Forum Berlin (IHIF) and the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

“Building on WTM London’s expertise within the international travel industry and IHIF Berlin’s leadership in hospitality investment, the symposium is open to investors, ministers and their aides, city mayors, tourism board directors and senior government officials,” an announcement by WTM’s organizer Reed Exhibitions said.

Several major investors have already signed up to attend the inaugural event, including representatives from Goldman Sachs, Barings Real Estate Europe and Invesco Real Estate.

The symposium will be introduced by speakers from WTM London and Questex, the global business information company that runs IHIF Berlin.

Two panel debates will take place – the Investors’ Panel and the Ministers’ Panel – plus a keynote speech about sustainable development. There will also be a destination case study from David Margason, Chief Executive at Porto Montenegro – described as the Mediterranean’s “leading luxury yacht homeport and marina village”.

The Investors’ Panel will explore what makes a destination attractive to investors, and travel trends that will affect future investment decisions. Speakers include Keith Evans, Vice President – Hotels at Starwood Capital, and Tina Yu, Senior Vice President at KSL Capital.

The Ministers’ Panel will look at how governments work with the travel and hospitality sector to make destinations successful, and it will consider issues such as infrastructure, regulations and public-private partnerships. The panel will be moderated by Carlos Vogeler, UNWTO Executive Director for Member Relations, and will feature Issam Kazim, Chief Executive of Dubai Tourism, plus three speakers representing government ministries.

The symposium will close with a networking reception.

The event “IHIF at WTM London: Ministers’ Destination Investment Symposium” will take place on Tuesday, November 7, at Platinum Suite 3, between 14.30 – 17.30.

The Greek Travel Pages (GTP) is an official media partner of WTM London 2017.