Regenerative tourism, accessibility and AI: The hot topics as the travel industry gathers at WTM

One of the world’s most influential travel and tourism markets has kicked off in London today. 

The World Travel Market sees hundreds of industry leaders, tourism boards, hoteliers, transport companies and members of the public gather from across the globe. 

This year’s event will be the largest to date, with an expected seven per cent growth and over 80 new exhibitors at ExCeL London, reflecting the thriving international tourism sector.

Here are the key themes and topics of this year’s summit as the travel industry continues to grow post-pandemic and becomes increasingly conscious of its impact on the environment.

Regenerative tourism and travel as a force for good

New to WTM this year is a spotlight on regenerative tourism. The topic will be the focus of discussions at the Sustainability Summit on 6 November.

Overseen by the show’s sustainability advisor Tina O’Dwyer, a leading expert in sustainable tourism and driving impactful campaigns, the three-hour summit will focus on using travel as a force for good.

Discussions will delve into how travel can be harnessed to support resilient communities, flourishing economies and thriving ecosystems.

“The whole programme invites both exhibitors and the media to boldly rethink how we approach sustainability, re-imagine its purpose and foster prosperity for all,” says WTM’s Exhibition Director Juliette Losardo. 

Diversity, equity and accessibility

WTM is expanding its coverage on diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion and intersectionality (DEAI) this year.

A dedicated DEAI Summit is taking place from 1:15pm to 5:00pm, with dedicated networking drinks from 5:00-6:00pm, on 5 November in the Purple Theatre.

The theme is ‘from commitment to action’, and the sessions will concentrate on steps that travel and tourism stakeholders can take to deliver on promises to create a fully inclusive industry for travel businesses, their teams and their customers.

Attendees will hear from a range of important speakers on topics including implementing mentorship and allyship programmes, intercultural sensitivity in marketing and communications, making nature-based and cultural visitor experiences accessible to all and connecting travellers with Indigenous communities respectfully and equitably.

Throughout the event, there will be gender-neutral toilets, the option to add pronouns to official event badges and multi-faith rooms for prayer.

How Greece is investing in sustainable tourism

Destinations from around the world have stands at the conference to promote their countries or regions.

Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), a premier partner of the show, will demonstrate how it is balancing the benefits of tourism with the needs of local economies and communities while safeguarding the natural and cultural environment. 

The country has introduced policies to diversify offerings, mitigate seasonality, upgrade education and foster cooperation with local communities. 

Tools have been developed for comprehensive and systematic data collection and information flow in tourism.

‘Frictionless’ travel and AI technology

This year's Technology Track sessions will focus on how sellers and suppliers of travel can address the ongoing headaches travellers face when they search, shop, book and pay for their trip.

This will include discussions about the importance of the customer’s digital experience and the future intersection between AI and loyalty schemes.

“We’ve decided to tackle head-on one of my industry bug-bears: despite all this tech, why do sellers and suppliers make it so difficult for the traveller to find what they want, to buy our products and to experience what we offer,” says WTM’s technology advisor Timothy O’Neil-Dunne.

“I will be addressing the ‘apocalyptic inefficiency’, as I see it, across the industry and explore the tech we need to tackle this.”