Travel professionals from 142 countries attend WTM
Travel Biz News —
World Travel Market (WTM) London physical show is finally back. WTM – 2021 welcomed exhibitors from more than 100 countries and regions, 6,000 pre-registered buyers from 142 countries and travel professionals from all over the world.
The largest gathering of travel industry professionals in the world since the pandemic began is the perfect platform for recovery in 2022. The show featured numerous business meetings, insightful conferences and press conferences, according to the organizers.
The WTM London opening officially took place with HE Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism in Saudi Arabia; Fahd Hammidaddin, Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Tourism Authority; Hugh Jones named CEO at RX Global and Princess Haifa AI Saud, Assistant Minister of Tourism in Saudi Arabia.
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 22% of those aged 35-44 said they were more likely to use an agent, along with 21% of those aged 22-24 and 20% of those aged 18 to 21.
Respected travel journalist Simon Calder presented these and many other positive findings from WTM’s Industry Report on the first day of the event.
The report also found that holidaymakers are four times as likely to book a package than a sharing-economy stay for next year.
Almost a third (32%) of those thinking about an overseas holiday in 2022 are most likely to book a package holiday, compared to 8% who will book through a sharing economy site, such as Airbnb.
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% 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.
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.
Investments in training people will be key to the recovery of travel and tourism around the world. That was the message to delegates at the Invest, Finance and Restart Summit, held by the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) at WTM London.
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, said many skilled workers in tourism have moved to other sectors because of the devastating impact of the pandemic.
He said airlines, for example, are finding it hard to ramp up capacity to cope with the demand because many pilots, cabin crew and ground-handlers have left travel.
“Skills have gone elsewhere; specialised skills will take a long time to build up again,” he told ITIC delegates at WTM London. “There will be a slower recovery because of the human factor.”
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive at flydubai, said the recovery was also being affected by some countries not opening up their borders to international travellers. “We have to take off restrictions or it will delay the recovery,” he said.
Dr Taleb Rifai, ITIC Chairman ITIC and former Secretary General at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), said destinations had learned valuable lessons during the pandemic about the value of international and domestic tourism to their economies.
He hailed Egypt, Jordan and Jamaica as good examples of destinations that were investing in tourism to take advantage of opportunities after the Covid crisis.
How to Attract Chinese Visitors during and post Covid-19
Hidden gems, self-drive and health, spa & wellness holidays are the key emerging new travel trends among Chinese leisure clients, WTM delegates heard during the session How to Attract Chinese Visitors during and post Covid-19, Marcus Lee, CEO of China Travel Online, said China’s tourism industry has already rebounded from the pandemic.
During the 2020 May labour holiday in China, 115 million tourists went overseas.
The following year, the 2021 May labour holiday saw 230 million trips, with Chinese visitors spending almost $18 billion US. Mr Lee said Chinese tourists are prepared to travel abroad for desert experiences, historical sites, night-time experiences, nature, national parks and shopping.
Likewise , Ras Al Khaimah has unveiled a new marketing drive, using its coastal, mountain and desert landscapes to promote its tourism products around the world.
Raki Phillips, Chief Executive of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, outlined the strategy at WTM London – and highlighted how the emirate has emerged faster than other destinations from the pandemic and continued to invest in tourism developments.
2 November 2021
Photo : WTM London
