LONDON – WORLD TRAVEL MARKET – REPORT: The 247 newcomers hail from all four corners of the globe and represent every travel sector, including airlines, tourist boards, luxury resorts and technology specialists. They range from large corporations to small-business entrepreneurs who have spotted a gap in the market for a new product.
LONDON – WORLD TRAVEL MARKET – REPORT: World Travel Market London 2015, the leading global event for the industry, has signed up almost 250 new exhibitors for next week’s event.
The 247 newcomers hail from all four corners of the globe and represent every travel sector, including airlines, tourist boards, luxury resorts and technology specialists. They range from large corporations to small-business entrepreneurs who have spotted a gap in the market for a new product.
Together they will contribute to some of the 1.1 million on-stand meetings that are expected to lead to more than £2.5 billion worth of deals being agreed during the four days of the show, at ExCeL, from November 2-5.
Flag-carriers such as Avianca and Kuwait Airways and high-profile tourist boards from as far afield as Orlando, Tokyo, the Caribbean and Scotland are among the newcomers. All nine WTM regions will host new exhibitors, with North America welcoming one of the world’s most recognised carriers – United Airlines – and the official tourism association for the most visited destination in the US – Visit Orlando.
The Caribbean region welcomes four new exhibitors: the hugely influential Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association; hotel group Palace Resorts; inter-island carrier Trans Caribbean Air and the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board.
Latin America has six new exhibitors, including Colombia’s flag-carrier Avianca and Brazil’s Caiman Ecoturismo, while Asia has wooed eight new exhibitors, including representation firm Khiri Travel; the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau and a new tour company Pegu Travels, which offers experiences in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, fast becoming a popular tourist destination.
Two well-known UK tour operators – Premier Holidays and Cosmos Holidays – are among 39 new exhibitors in the Europe area. Others include Ticket Bureau; Ibiza’s tourism promotion agency and Liberation Route Europe, an international remembrance trail that connects important milestones from the Second World War.
The UK and Ireland zone has 12 fresh faces including VisitScotland, which is taking its own stand for the first time; Norfolk Broads boating holiday firm Herbert Woods; B2B accommodation specialist Vanilla Tours; and group travel organiser The Group Company.
India, sponsor for the WTM Buyers’ Club, and Africa have attracted 12 new exhibitors each, including Hotel Pushkar Palace in Rajasthan and the tourism department of the state of Telangana in India, plus Morocco’s tourist board and the West Midland Safari Park, representing Ongava Game Reserve in Namibia, in the Africa region.
Middle East has 10, including major players such as Kuwait Airways; the tourism office of the Kingdom of Bahrain; and Dubai Parks & Resorts – which will open three theme parks and a waterpark in 2016, including Legoland Dubai.
The Global Village section will have 24 new exhibitors this year, including accommodation specialists such as Getabed, and TUI’s Destination Services – Hotelbeds Group; Fox Rent A Car Reservation System and several hotel companies, such as NH Hotel Group and Hard Rock International.
Other events within WTM London 2015 also welcome new exhibitors: The Travel Tech Show at WTM London has 40, while A Taste of ILTM at WTM London has 19 new exhibitors. New technology brands range from large, well-established suppliers of travel technology such as Atcore to start-ups such as software technology development company Celigra.
Among many well-known upmarket names that will take part in the luxury show this year are Small Luxury Hotels of the World; Culloden Estate & Spa; Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau; Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Kenya; and South Africa’s Sun International, which has five-star hotels, casinos and resorts in its portfolio.
One newcomer, an upmarket transfer company called REAL, which launched earlier this year, has chosen WTM London 2015 to launch to the trade. Director Jon Ghaemian said: “We are hugely excited to be attending WTM. This is the first major travel related event we will be attending since launching earlier this year. We have already contacted a number of WTM attendees and arranged meetings and we are looking forward to finding ways that we can jointly maximise any opportunities.”
WTM London, Senior Exhibition Director, Simon Press said: “The fact that WTM London has signed up almost 250 new exhibitors shows how immensely important the global travel trade sees this event.
“The variety of new exhibitors is impressive, with small, entrepreneurial start-ups to tourist boards to well-established global operators and everything in between. With many opportunities to network and conference sessions that cover the whole spectrum of the industry, there is no better place to do business than WTM London.”
New report on independent lodgings to be revealed exclusively at WTM London
The findings of a large study on the future of independent accommodation providers will be exclusively revealed during a conference session at WTM London on Wednesday, November 4 2015.
The session, entitled The Independent US and European Lodging Market: Lost Opportunities? will use recent research undertaken by Phocuswright and h2c, a technology provider to the independent hospitality industry.
Michaela Papenhoff, Senior Market Analyst, Europe at Phocuswright Inc, and Managing Director of h2c, will present the key findings during the session, giving valuable insight into how independents are faring and what their future looks like.
In researching the report, called Independent Lodging Market: Marketing, Distribution and Technology Strategies for Non-Branded Properties, the authors compared market size, marketing tactics and partnerships, distribution practices, technology employments and other key trends among independent properties in Europe and the US.
Papenhoff said: “The independent lodging markets in Europe and the US are huge, complex and underserved.
“They are also unique – with independents representing 75% of hotels in Europe but only 25% in the US. There are hundreds of thousands of non-branded properties competing for share in both markets and their distribution and marketing strategies are not fully understood.
“By shedding light on the challenges and preferences of independent properties, the study passes on a better understanding of their wants and needs.”
Simon Press said: “Independent accommodation providers stand out from the crowd by offering something different. Often they’re pioneers – at the forefront of the latest in hotel services and quick to react to new trends and new requirements among guests. Yet they are constantly in danger of being squeezed out by the bigger players.
“There is room for both in the worldwide travel industry. This report is sure to stir debate on the future, challenges and opportunities that face the independent hotelier.”
Docklands Light Railway staff have voted to take industrial action on the Tuesday and Wednesday of World Travel Market London (Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November).
World Travel MarketIndustrial action on Docklands Light Railway (DLR) on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th November will cause minimal disruption. Also London Underground is running a full service to Canning Town Station. There will be regular bus transfers and additional services from Canning Town Station to ExCeL. 325 and 541 serve both Custom House Station (West Entrance) and Prince Regent Station (East Entrance) from Canning Town Station. 147, 300 and 473 serve Prince Regent Station (East Entrance) of ExCeL from Canning Town Station.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
