First day of the show welcomed exhibitors from more than 100 countries and regions
The WTM London’s opening officially took place with Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism in Saudi Arabia; Fahd Hammidaddin, Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Tourism Authority; Hugh Jones CEO at RX Global and Princess Haifa AI Saudi, Assistant Minister of Tourism in Saudi Arabia.
The first day of the show welcomed exhibitors from more than 100 countries and regions, more than 6,000 pre-registered buyers from 142 countries and travel professionals from all over the world.
Responsible tourism was the key theme for the day. As the leading global event for the travel industry, WTM London has championed the cause of responsible tourism and the annual WTM Responsible Tourism Awards celebrated the best of travel across categories – winners list will be released this morning.
WTM Industry Report
Younger people are increasingly turning to travel agents to book holidays because of the confusion and problems seen during the pandemic, according to the WTM Industry Report.
Its survey of 1,000 consumers found that 22 pc of those aged 35-44 said they were more likely to use an agent, along with 21 pc of those aged 22-24 and 20 pc of those aged 18 to 21.
Travel journalist Simon Calder presented these and many other findings from WTM’s Industry Report on the first day of the event.
The report also found that almost a third (32 pc) of those thinking about an overseas holiday in 2022 are most likely to book a package holiday, compared to 8 pc who will book through a sharing economy site, such as Airbnb.
“I am getting complaints every day from people who have put together a trip themselves or by using one of the less well-regarded online travel agencies. Using a package company is better and using a live travel agent means they will not leave you stranded. All the confusion is pushing people towards using travel agents,” Calder told delegates.
When consumers were asked about where they would like to go, the top hotspot was Spain, followed by other traditional European favourites such as France, Italy and Greece, and the US – which will reopen to British holidaymakers on November 8 after being off limits since March 2020.
The report also revealed that most of the 700 trade professionals quizzed for the report are expecting 2022 sales to match or beat 2019.
Furthermore, nearly 60 pc of travel executives believe sustainability has become the industry’s top priority.
John Strickland, WTM’s aviation expert, said low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and Wizz Air were seeing better traffic figures but airlines such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which rely on long-haul and transatlantic routes, were taking longer to recover.
He cited a forecast from IATA which said traffic will not be back to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.
Also, he does not think business travel will bounce back in the way that the markets have done so for leisure and visiting friends and relatives.
However, Tracey Halliwell, Director of Tourism, Conventions & Major Events at London & Partners, said there is a “strong” pipeline for business tourism and major events in the capital.
“I am eternally optimistic that London will return to its exalted status,” she said.
Leisure travel will outweigh any shortfall in business tourism because there will be more “bleisure”, which will see people adding holiday elements to their work trips, added Halliwell.
Harold Goodwin, WTM’s responsible tourism expert, said the aviation sector will need to be regulated, unless it cuts its own carbon footprint, he warned. As other sectors decarbonise, global aviation will become a larger proportion of emissions, rising to about 24 pc by 2050 if current trends continue.
