Travelling the globe at WTM 2015

World Travel Market London is a global event for the travel industry and 2015 is off to a great start. Hundreds of tour companies, airlines and tourist boards have come together to celebrate the newest in travel trends, through conferences, seminars and a whole host of educational events.

This year, the UK’s largest travel technology show joined the exhibition, showcasing the latest innovations in the travel technology and digital space. As the need to find smarter and more efficient ways to better service the modern traveller increases, so to does the demand for constant innovation. The exhibition has a dedicated tech café, a travel tech theatre and a strong presence on the main WTM Global stage. WTM as a whole is highlighting the importance of social media, bloggers and apps in the travel industry. There is large focus on blogger/destination relations with such talks as eTourism Dynamics: Smart Tourism, The State of European Start Ups, How travel brands can work with Google and Can global brands truly make local content? The exhibition ends with a blogger speed-networking event introducing more than 100 bloggers to global travel brands.

This year, WTM has also added a wellness lounge. This space provides an exclusive platform for travel buyers and wellness supplier to meet and conduct business in the comfort of a dedicated lounge.

The BBC also hosts WTM World Responsible Tourism Day which tackles a different tourism challenge ever year. This year, WTM is discussing the issue of climate change and comes just weeks before the same issue will be discussed by the United Nations to achieve the first legally binding agreement in 20 years. The World Responsible Tourism Awards take place at the end of the conference, celebrating some of the most inspiring and enduring responsible tourism experiences in the world.

The WTM Ministerial Programme is always a highlight of the conference, bringing together tourism ministers and private sector representatives from all around the world to discuss the biggest challenges facing the tourism industry. The theme this year is Destination Branding: new challenges in a changing market. It will focus on the changes shaping tourism markets and how this impacts destination branding. More detailed topic discussions include links between nation branding and destination branding, what makes a successful destination brand in today’s globalized media landscape and the role of social media and consumer engagement in destination marketing.

WTM also hosts a renowned aviation programme that has a reputation for presenting high-profile airlines speakers. Representatives for Aer Lingus and Malaysian Airlines will be on site to discuss how to recover after a disaster and great financial loss.

Perhaps most importantly, the conference focuses on trends and forecasting in the travel industry. The WTM Forecast Forum unveils the latest in the travel and tourism industry. This global report offers insight into the size and shape of travel and tourism and identifies pressing industry issues, emerging brands, destinations and demographics, growth categories and consumer trends, Over the past decade, the WTM Global Trends report has been at the forefront of accurately predicting major travel trends around the world, looking at how the travel industry is developing in a rapidly changing landscape.

Over the next few days, I will speak to destinations worldwide to discuss their plans for 2016. What are their goals for tourism? How are they addressing sustainable tourism and eco-tourism? How do they cater to different demographics? What sets them apart as a destination? How do they appeal specifically to a Canadian audience? There are so many destinations and cultures to explore here at WTM London 2015 that walking the exhibition floor is a journey unto itself.