World Travel Market
Encyclopedia
World Travel Market is a UK event aimed at the global travel industry. Almost 46,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and representatives of the international media, converge on ExCeL London each year in November to attend WTM. This year World Travel Market is scheduled for 7 to 10 November 2011. WTM marked its thirtieth anniversary in 2009, and is today a significant opportunity for suplliers in travel industry to negotiate business contracts.
World Travel Market is administerd by events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which also organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and Luxury Travel Market.
2. WTM has played host to an array of celebrities over the past three decades. Celebrity WTM visitors have included film star Michael Douglas, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, England football Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, five-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave and most recently Aussie soap star, singer and TV talent show judge Dannii Minogue.
3. Over the last 29 years WTM has held almost 11,000 (10,950) conference sessions. UK travel agents can collect Accredited Travel Professional (ATP) points for each WTM Travel Agents Programme session they attend.
4. The move to Earl’s Court in 1992 saw the launch of the Meridian Club. The Meridian Club is for the industry’s senior buyers, who use WTM to negotiate deals with the exhibitors. Meridian Club launched with almost 7,000 (6,907) members, in 2008 it had almost 11,000 (10,981).
5. Environmental Awareness Day, launched in 1994, was renamed World Responsible Tourism
Day (WRTD) in 2004. WRTD, the only global day of action of its kind, is supported by the UNWTO and leading industry associations. The day is vital – for business, for profitability and for our planet. It means taking care of a world that we seek to promote, preserving our heritage and cultures and taking into account the views and needs of local communities.
6. A delegate visiting WTM for the four full days can expect to walk more than 100,000 steps.
7. In 2009 WTM had a 45,571 industry attendance with 5,121 exhibiting companies representing 187 countries and regions.
8. In 1998, Jeffery founded international water-aid charity Just A Drop
. The charity raises desperately needed funds to build wells, bore holes, hand pumps and run health and sanitation programmes throughout the world. Just a Drop
has raised more than £1million and supported 900,000 people in 28 countries around the world.
9. WTM has the largest reoccurring Press Centre in the UK. Beaten only by the largest one-off press centre in the UK, which was the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002.
10. WTM will be in its 32nd year in 2011
World Travel Market is administerd by events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which also organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and Luxury Travel Market.
Interesting facts about World Travel Market
1. World Travel Market has been hosted in three London venues, Olympia, Earl’s Court and ExCeL London. WTM launched at Olympia in 1980 before moving to the larger Earl’s Court in 1992. The event grew so popular it moved to London’s largest exhibition centre ExCeL, London in 2002.2. WTM has played host to an array of celebrities over the past three decades. Celebrity WTM visitors have included film star Michael Douglas, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, England football Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, five-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave and most recently Aussie soap star, singer and TV talent show judge Dannii Minogue.
3. Over the last 29 years WTM has held almost 11,000 (10,950) conference sessions. UK travel agents can collect Accredited Travel Professional (ATP) points for each WTM Travel Agents Programme session they attend.
4. The move to Earl’s Court in 1992 saw the launch of the Meridian Club. The Meridian Club is for the industry’s senior buyers, who use WTM to negotiate deals with the exhibitors. Meridian Club launched with almost 7,000 (6,907) members, in 2008 it had almost 11,000 (10,981).
5. Environmental Awareness Day, launched in 1994, was renamed World Responsible Tourism
Responsible Tourism
Responsible Tourism is tourism ‘that creates better places for people to live in, and better places to visit’.The 2002 Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations defines Responsible Tourism as follows:...
Day (WRTD) in 2004. WRTD, the only global day of action of its kind, is supported by the UNWTO and leading industry associations. The day is vital – for business, for profitability and for our planet. It means taking care of a world that we seek to promote, preserving our heritage and cultures and taking into account the views and needs of local communities.
6. A delegate visiting WTM for the four full days can expect to walk more than 100,000 steps.
7. In 2009 WTM had a 45,571 industry attendance with 5,121 exhibiting companies representing 187 countries and regions.
8. In 1998, Jeffery founded international water-aid charity Just A Drop
Just a Drop
Just a Drop - a charitable organization helping to provide clean water and sanitation in poor countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Founded in 1998 by a managing director of World Travel Market Fiona Jeffery and supported by the members of the international travel industry...
. The charity raises desperately needed funds to build wells, bore holes, hand pumps and run health and sanitation programmes throughout the world. Just a Drop
Just a Drop
Just a Drop - a charitable organization helping to provide clean water and sanitation in poor countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Founded in 1998 by a managing director of World Travel Market Fiona Jeffery and supported by the members of the international travel industry...
has raised more than £1million and supported 900,000 people in 28 countries around the world.
9. WTM has the largest reoccurring Press Centre in the UK. Beaten only by the largest one-off press centre in the UK, which was the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002.
10. WTM will be in its 32nd year in 2011
External links
- World Travel Market Official Show Website (Reed Exhibitions)
- ExCeL London