World Travel Market 2000 is to get to grips with the travel and tourism industry's most controversial and explosive issue – e-travel…
World Travel Market 2000 is to get to grips with the travel and tourism industry's most controversial and explosive issue – e-travel.
Two hard hitting hour and a half debates with senior industry experts and a series of daily e-travel seminars will hammer out the problems and the opportunities.
"This is the most important development in the industry since the birth of the package holiday," said exhibition director, Fiona Jeffery.
Respected American journalist and editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly US, Alan Fredericks, will chair a panel on November 14, where the subject will be 'E-travel: Evolution or Revolution'.
The speakers will include Clive Jacobs, chairman of Holiday Autos Group Ltd, the world's largest leisure car rental broker.
"E-commerce is the most exciting opportunity for the travel industry in years", said Jacobs. "But it is also a threat to be taken very seriously. Travel agents and the industry in general must embrace the new technology to improve service and add value to customers. Those that don't will lose out."
The second debate, to be held on November 16, addresses the pressure now on travel agents to react to the boom in web commerce. Entitled 'Death of a Salesman' and chaired by Jeremy Skidmore, editor of the UK's Travel Weekly, the debate will focus on whether agents have a future.
WTM is to be held in London from November 13 to 16.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
