World Travel Market attendees seemed to take the US election results in stride last week – beyond at least one avowed Democratic who was considering seeking asylum in the UK – instead focussing on the business of travel at a time it was being reported that international tourism arrivals are expected to hit 1.5 billion this year, surpassing 2019 values (the global benchmark for record tourism numbers).
And there’s no end in sight, with the by the WTM Global Travel Report, in conjunction with Tourism Economics, further forecasting that by 2030, overnight tourism arrivals (i.e. international visitors staying at least one night) are projected to have grown by over 30% to two billion, aided by emerging outbound markets.
Canada’s outbound market is forecast to increase by 35% by 2030.
Current spend is also rising with global leisure tourism expenditure in 2024 now worth over US$5.5 trillion, a level 24% above 2019. Canada’s growth is 6%.
Most significantly, the report said, consumers appear to be prioritizing travel, with it accounting for a greater share of their spending in the major advanced economies than in the 10 years pre-pandemic.
WTM London
Corresponding to travel’s continuing consumer and business travel surge, WTM – the world’s largest English-language travel trade event – was also expecting record attendance of close to over 45,000 visitors.
Many Canadians were spotted on the floor of the massive ExCel venue by Travel Industry Today, among them teams from Goway Travel, Air Canada Vacations, and CAA/AAA.
This year’s Canada pavilion was paltry, featuring a handful of booths that included incoming operator Jonview, along with Niagara Helicopters and The Chelsea hotel. (Destination Canada, which organized most Canadian exhibitors, pulled out several years ago and now hosts its own event at Canada House, taking place this week).
The US (which also saw Brand USA pull out of WTM) was represented mainly through large Florida, Orlando, New York and Las Vegas pavilions.
The rest of the world was enthusiastically represented, with Gulf Arab and Middle Eastern destinations and suppliers particularly in evidence (as always), and even Ukraine offering a small stand. Israel was in attendance, though notably positioned far from its territorial neighbours.
WTM London and its Global Travel Partner, the Saudi Tourism Authority, both hailed the economic and cultural importance of the travel & tourism sector as the event opened its doors on Tuesday.
Speaking at the WTM Global Welcome, Jonathan Heastie, WTM Portfolio Director, said: “The halls are packed already for what is the biggest WTM London to date. More than 4,000 exhibitors have joined us this year; there are delegates here from 184 countries around the world. It is a remarkable turnout… This time last year, £2.2 billion worth of travel deals were done in these halls.”
And while the event is an annual requisite for travel buyers and sellers to develop new business and to update existing relationships for the year ahead, Fahd Hamidaddin, chief executive and board member for Saudi Tourism Authority, observed that “Tourism powers economies more than anything. The jobs we create are the jobs for the young, the entrepreneurs, for the remote, for the pop-and-mom shops and for the new rising talents. When we travel, we go with our best intentions. Our minds are the most open.”
Learning opportunity
The three-day event, which took place Nov. 5-7 in west London, was also a learning opportunity for attendees with more than 200 world-class speakers presiding over some 70 forward-looking sessions with titles like “The Frictionless Future of Travel,” “The Intersection of Entertainment, Events and Leisure Travel,” and “How User-Friendly Tech is Shaping the Future of Travel” for those with the time and inclination to attend.
There were also delightful colour moments, like the Dutch “sustainable traveller” who had built his own electric vehicle to drive to Indonesia, accumulating amazing lessons and insights across the 33 countries he crossed; and Canadian comedian and travel show host Katherine Ryan, who unpacked her journey of challenging industry norms and breaking cultural barriers with humour.
Overcoming cultural barriers, proved to be a key theme all week. Speaking in one of the panels, LoAnn Halden VP of communications for IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) urged travel companies not to merely pay lip service to diversity for Pride or Black History Month but to address longer term social inclusion. She recommended having ‘internal allies’ who understand under-represented groups.
Meanwhile, Jane Cunningham, director of European engagement for Destinations International, noted that good diversity and inclusion is “not only [welcoming] for visitors but very much serving the citizens who live in that destination.”
Commenting on stereotyping in advertising, Debbie Marshall, managing director for the Silver Marketing Association, warned companies to consult the demographic they were marketing to before producing materials.
And Hafsa Gaher, director of Halal Travel Network, shared practical tips to help hotels welcome more Halal observing guests – including having vegetarian options, providing a list of nearby Halal eateries, and offering to remove alcohol from minibars.
From the latest big issues and trends to small but in-the-moment details and observations, WTM provided oodles of insight. Stay tuned to Travel Industry Today for more of them in the coming days and weeks.
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