Wednesday, August 21, 2024 Over 60 expert-led sessions at World Travel Market London 2024 will explore regenerative tourism, technology, and more, setting the stage for global industry transformation. This year’s World Travel Market London will host over 60 confirmed conference sessions, bringing together top industry experts and government ministers, further solidifying WTM’s status as the premier global event in the travel and tourism sector. Focusing on key themes such as regenerative tourism and transformative technologies, WTM London promises to be a catalyst for positive industry change.
The sessions are organized into six distinct Conference Tracks, each carefully curated by a team of expert advisors to ensure attendees can easily find topics most relevant to their interests. The tracks include: Following a 29% surge in attendance at last year’s conference sessions, this year will see an expansion of the stage areas. To make navigation easier, the conference theatres will be color-coded according to their corresponding regions: the Yellow Theatre in the Africa section, the Orange Theatre in Asia, and the Purple Theatre in the Tech area.
Additionally, each day will focus on specific themes, with sessions grouped into specialized summits. Key highlights include: Tuesday, 5 November The event opens with the unveiling of the WTM Global Travel Report, a comprehensive analysis supported by Oxford Economics, offering valuable insights into consumer behavior and emerging trends across more than 185 countries. The Technology Summit will follow, centered on the theme of Frictionless Journeys.
Attendees will explore the application of new technologies and delve into the relationship between AI and loyalty programs. Also on the first day, the DEAI Summit, titled “From Commitment to Action,” will provide a platform to discuss the future of diversity, accessibility, equality, inclusion, and intersectionality (DEAI) within tourism. Wednesday, 6 November The second day will feature the 18th annual Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market, held in partnership with UN Tourism and WTTC.
This year’s focus will be on “Emerging Technology’s Potential for Good in Tourism,” where over 50 influential political figures will discuss the transformative impact of AI and other technologies on the future of travel and hospitality, while considering their ethical implications. The Sustainability Summit, themed “The Rise of Regenerative Tourism – a Paradigm Shift,” will explore the foundational principles of regenerative tourism, showcase successful examples, and offer practical strategies for adopting these practices in the tourism industry. Thursday, 7 November On the final day, the Marketing Summit will dissect the evolution of travel marketing in the digital age, with sessions exploring how digital tools are reshaping marketing techniques and the critical role of storytelling in the traveler’s journey.
The day will also feature the return of the Influencers’ Lunch, where content creators can network with exhibitors and explore new collaboration opportunities. The event will conclude with the eagerly awaited Keynote Speech. While the speaker has yet to be announced, past speakers such as documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett suggest it will be an inspiring and thought-provoking finale.
Juliette Losardo, Exhibition Director, World Travel Market London, said : “We believe that travel has the power to change the world and World Travel Market allows visitors the opportunity to be part of the movement that shapes it. We are proud to be such an influential force in facilitating and shaping positive discussion in the global travel industry. Every year WTM strives to make the conference programme indispensable.
We hope to see attendees benefiting from the topics raised within the conference programme and finding take-aways that can truly change their businesses for the better. WTM London works together with global thought leaders and world-class researchers to deliver a strong and diverse conference programme. Confirmed speakers and partners include Bloomberg Travel, UN Tourism, Trip.
com, WTTC, Expedia and the BBC, with more to be announced soon.”.
