Tourism Breaking News
Sustainable and regenerative tourism was in the spotlight on the second day of World Travel Market London, along with other key issues such as diversity and digital marketing. Speakers at WTM London’s first Regenerative Tourism Summit said the travel and tourism sector needs to see a “paradigm shift”. Tina O’Dwyer, WTM London’s Sustainability Advisor, asked delegates: “Are we brave enough to leave behind a paradigm that has worked well for us in the past?” Anna Pollock, Founder of Conscious Travel, highlighted warnings from the World Trade Organisation of a “polycrisis” – a cluster of global risks, including the climate crisis, adding: “Sustainability is not enough.” Other speakers showcased how regenerative tourism is helping revive and support destinations, including peat bogs in Ireland, Loch Ness, Majorca and Flanders.
Sustainability was also a major theme for the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO). Andreas Fiorentinos, GNTO Secretary General, said the country is poised for another record setting year in 2024, with projected arrivals reaching approximately 35 million tourists, and total revenue expected to rise by 10% to about €22 billion – “driven by a robust increase in international arrivals and a growing emphasis on sustainability”.
He pointed to developments such as an eco-islands initiative in the Aegean and investment in other sectors such as mountain tourism, hiking trails and ski resorts to help spread tourist arrivals across the seasons.
Developing accessible tourism facilities and activities “makes business sense”, delegates heard at the WTM diversity, equality, accessibility, inclusion and intersectionality (DEAI) summit.
Ryan Smith, the founder of The Access Agency, said investing in the accessible sector can generate $13 for every dollar spent. He said the public and private sectors are developing more facilities for disabled travellers, ranging from hot air balloons with easy-access baskets to all-terrain wheelchairs.
The DEAI summit also heard how focusing on employees’ strengths can pay dividends, during a discussion with Mark Julian Edwards, CEO of The Strengths Explorer. He said the attraction and retention of talent in the industry is the “number one hot topic”, adding: “If we have a culture where people feel included, they are going to give more.
Jo Rzymowska, founder of Jovolution, outlined how she helped Celebrity Cruises to increase its ratio of female officers from 2% to 32%, and led a marketing project to create a photo library of real guests on cruises rather than stereotypical families.
Digital marketing was another sector in the spotlight on day two. In a popular session entitled Digital Marketing Trends, Dan Christian, host of the popular Travel Trends podcast, highlighted social media search; hyper-personalisation with AI; the mainstream use of podcast marketing; short-form video’s dominance and the rise of purpose-driven marketing as issues to watch next year.
Christian also commented: “Google are still generating 75% of their revenue from search and I think that’s going to be under siege.”
Referring to booking platforms, he predicted Booking.com would be able to integrate AI faster than its rivals. Concluding with tips for digital marketers he said it was most important to have an effective content strategy, to combine that with AI and to be strong on data analytics.
Hannah Bennett, head of travel for TikTok, used WTM London to unveil a report with PhocusWire about TikTok’s growing influence on travel decisions, saying three in ten users are now actively searching the platform for travel content.
Short-form video also now leads social media types for sales conversions among social media users, she added, with creators, followed by OTAs and hotel brands the most likely route. “The Tik Tok community as a whole has changed how they’ve used the app and also how they make decisions,” she said.
The WTM StartUp Pitch Battle took place with a panel of judges headed by WTM’s technology advisor, Timothy O’Neil-Dunne. “I’ve seen lots of pitch competitions over the years and this is one of the strongest line-ups I’ve had to judge,” he said. He also noted that, of the six entrepreneurs pitching their business, five were female.
The winner, appropriately, was Greether. Founded in 2021 by Vanessa Karel and based in San Francisco, the business is a marketplace designed to help solo female travellers explore the world safely. Female travellers can connect with verified women greeters in their chosen destination who can then personalise the trip according to the travellers’ interests.
Finally, the power of networking was stressed in the ITT Future You session entitled 15 Years of Bridging the Gap Between Education and Industry.
“A network is important, so you have lots of options to pivot into,” said Felix Ochefu, founder and CEO of Kahana, who said that one of his tech suppliers collapsed as he was about to launch his business.
EasyJet Holidays’ senior strategy manager Louie Davis stressed the importance of thinking how you can add value when approaching networking, rather than seeing it as a transaction. He pointed out that newcomers to the industry still had useful authentic views to share.
Jo Rzymowska, founder of Jovolution, said networking had enabled her to have a multi-faceted career changing job around every five years to cover all corners of the industry from car rental to theme parks to cruise. “It’s getting out of your comfort zone and having that mindset of flexibility and adaptability,” she advised.
