WTM London 2023 Opens with Focus on Travel Trends, Sustainability, Future Plans of Destinations

World Travel Market London 2023 Opening Ceremony. Photo source: WTM London

The first day of World Travel Market (WTM) London 2023 kicked off on Monday, November 6, at the ExCeL London exhibition & convention center with a number of key international gatherings.

Morocco’s tourism minister, Fatim-Zahra AMMOR, officially inaugurated the exhibition in the morning with WTM London Exhibition Director Juliette Losardo, marking the start of 43rd edition. The partner country of WTM London 2023, Morocco is aiming to become a leading leisure destination to the world’s travel trade.

WTM Global Travel Report

The opening of the World Travel Market this year was marked with the release of WTM London’s first ever Global Travel Report that includes the latest trends shaping the tourism industry.

WTM Global Travel Report presentation. Photo source: WTM London

Carried out in association with Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, the WTM Global Travel Report revealed how leisure travelers’ needs and desires are changing and put the spotlight on emerging and growing destinations for 2024 and beyond. Among other things, the report revealed interesting findings regarding “revenge travel” and the changes recorded in leisure travel trends.

The report also revealed that the value of inbound visitors to Europe has returned to pre-pandemic levels with domestic tourism in the region also back in positive territory.

“European travelers are vital to the success of the global industry. The research shows that the market is effectively back in the black after the pandemic, which is good news for everyone and is an inspiration for the team at WTM London to keep working hard to connect sellers and suppliers of leisure travel,” the event’s exhibition director, Juliette Losardo, said.

Sustainability

During Day 1, destinations showcased their sustainability credentials on the Discover Stage, with examples of best practice from around the world.

The German National Tourist Office is encouraging tourists to stay longer to relatively reduce their carbon footprint while the tourist boards of Greece, Italy, Spain and France outlined how they are enticing more holidaymakers to visit during the shoulder and winter seasons, as well as more off-the-beaten-track places to ease pressure on hotspots.

Italian National Tourist Board Press Conference. Photo source: WTM London

Pedro Medina, Deputy Director at Turespaña, the Spanish Tourist Office, said his country also has a focus on slow travel, encouraging holidays by train.

Brazil’s Embratur, highlighted Bonito, heralded as the world’s first carbon neutral ecotourism destination and Tourism Australia showcased the Discover Aboriginal Experiences collective.

Jonah Whitaker, UK and Ireland Managing Director at Visit California, said the tourist board has shifted to a “position of stewardship”, to encourage sustainable tourism practices.

ProColombia Vice President Gilberto Salcedo. Photo source: WTM London

Gilberto Salcedo, Tourism Vice President at Procolombia, said the country is reframing its “violent past” to ensure history won’t be repeated. Caguan Expeditions, for example, employs ex-guerrillas as guides and shifts them “from guns to paddles”.

Destinations announce future plans

Photo source: WTM London

Several destinations took the opportunity of WTM London to detail their plans for the years ahead. The Balearic Islands outlined how sport and culture were to be a key strategy, partly to help to extend its tourism season. Forty low season events are planned in the next year, one of which is a new triathlon in Ibiza in September.

Jose Marcial Rodriguez, Majorca’s tourism minister, said the island had almost reached 100 percent of 2019 visitor levels and looked forward to a winter with increasing airlift. Together, the four Balaeric islands saw just under 1.2 million travellers between October 2022 and May 2023, a 24 percent increase year on year.

Saudi Tourism Authority chief executive Fahd Hamidaddin detailed its Vision 2030 tourism plan which he said is vital for the country’s future.

“Vision 2030 is a national transformation agenda,” he said, explaining Saudi Arabia’s population was 60 percent below the age of 30 and that unemployment was a threat, which tourism could alleviate.

He was “very hopeful” the country would hit its 2030 target of 100 million visitors this year and had revised the original target to 150 million. A total of $800 billion would be spent by 2030, he revealed.

Greece is on the threshold of a “new era in sustainability”, according to the country’s tourism minister Olga Kefalogianni. Speaking during a press conference she called it, “an integral part of our identity.”

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni. Photo source: Greek Tourism Ministry

Despite the pandemic, geopolitical situations and climate change, Greek tourism has demonstrated “remarkable resilience and resurgence”, she added, with arrivals in the year to August up 18 percent year on year and tourism receipts up 15 percent.

“There are solid indications that numbers will surpass the record year of 2019,” she said.

“Success brings its own challenges, and we are now embarking on a new chapter with sustainability at its core,” Kefalogianni added.

She said investment in sustainable developments will disperse visitors throughout the country and extend the season beyond the peak warmer months.

WTM Ministers’ Summit

The 17th WTM Ministers’ Summit. Photo source: WTM London

The WTM Ministers’ Summit, now in its 17th year, had 40 representatives present for 2023. This year’s session, in association with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), was entitled “Transforming Tourism Through Youth and Education”.

UNWTO Executive Director Natalia Bayona pointed out that “tourism is more than hotel administration,” stating that 80 percent of relevant degrees were focused on this subject.

The UK’s tourism minister, John Whittingdale. Photo source: WTM London

Among ministers commenting at the summit, the UK’s Sir John Whittingdale said the prospect of good social mobility should be an enticement. “[In the travel industry] there are no ceilings, so you can go in at the bottom and reach right to the top… start on a hotel reception and end up running a group of hotels.”

Panel: Empowering Women to Change Travel

Panel session on Empowering Women to Change Travel. Photo source: WTM London

Former WTM Director Fiona OBE joined a panel session on Empowering Women to Change Travel, in which she discussed founding clean water project Just A Drop.

She said: “My mission was to try to encourage the travel and tourism industry to give back.” Also on stage was the First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid, who said the country is the closest in the world to closing the gender pay gap.

WTM Start-Up Pitch Battle

Further innovation was celebrated on the Discover Stage when InterLnkd was named winner of the WTM Start-Up Pitch Battle, in partnership with Amadeus.

InterLnkd’dplatform connects travel and hospitality suppliers with fashion and beauty retailers.

It has a proprietary matching engine which means that travellers are presented with products from partners that are appropriate to their trip. CEO Barry Klipp said his business fills an ancillary gap and is a new, free revenue stream for the travel industry.

Considered the world’s most influential travel & tourism event, WTM London this year is hosting around 4,000 exhibitors, contributing to its 20 percent growth compared to the previous year.

The trade show will run until Wednesday.

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