Tag Archives: WTM

World Travel Market London 2023 has signed up more than 14% new exhibitors, ranging from household names to specialist firms and niche brands. They will make up around 4,000 exhibitors at ExCeL London (6-8th November) to exchange ideas, drive innovation and accelerate their businesses. High-profile names debuting this year this year include Eurostar – the high-speed international rail service connecting the UK with mainland Europe – and ABBA Voyage, a live concert staged in London with virtual ‘Abbatars’. Also exhibiting for the first time is the Bermuda Tourism Authority, which is heading to WTM London to highlight its culture, heritage, cuisine, wellness and sustainability offerings. Other tourism boards making their first appearance at WTM London come from destinations as diverse as Sabah – promoting travel to northern Borneo, in Malaysia – and Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. Other new exhibitors from Asia are Ayana Hospitality, which offers luxury resorts and hotels in Indonesia, and Vietnam’s Thien Minh Group, showcasing its wide range of services, such as destination management, hospitality, online solutions and aviation. Rapidly growing global online travel agency Trip.com Group will be attending to target growth within the European market, while UK-based package holiday specialist HolidayBest will promote its worldwide range of destinations and vacation styles. Other new exhibitors will be travelling from Turkey, such as the Turkish travel agency association TURSAB, and Salkantay Trekking will be visiting from Peru, where it is a leading tour operator offering treks and adventure tours to Machu Picchu. Delegates in the technology zone will be able to meet new tech exhibitors such as search marketing agency Vertical Leap, and payments specialist flywire – which exhibited with WTM for the first time …

Opening the press conference at the Sharjah tourism pavilion, H.E Khalid Jassim Al Midfa, “welcome to the Sharjah stand. We are very happy to be back here at World Travel Market, as you know it is very important for us to showcase what is new in the destination and the good news is that we have so many new different products and experiences in Sharjah. Fortunately, during the covid period we were able to develop many new projects, we are announcing some of them today and within the next two years we will be launching more projects. The most important elements today or the additions are adventure and eco- tourism. As you know Sharjah is the cultural hub in the Arab world and have been recognised an awarded many times by UNESCO. In addition, we host many events the popular one the power boat racing event for the past 20 years and the Sharjah national book fair, the largest book fair in the world and the Sharjah Lights festival to name a few. Today, myself and my colleagues from both government and private sector will be sharing a brief about products and experiences that have been introduced to enhance the emirate’s touristic and overall infrastructure, given the fact that the sector is a major contributor to the national economy. We are very happy to have you here, as through yourselves whichever field you work under the general tourism umbrella, we will get the right audience, the right reach, the right exposure so thank you once again for being here.” HE Midfa reiterated, “Ladies and gentlemen there is so much to see when you are in Sharjah, our slogan is smile …

Rotana is highlighting its diverse collection of hotels and resorts at World Travel Market (WTM) London 2022. Taking place at the ExCeL London convention centre from 7th to 9th November, the event provides Rotana the ideal platform for engagement with key stakeholders, partners and customers in the UK market. Marking its 15th consecutive year of participation at one of the leading annual gatherings for the global travel industry, Rotana is showcasing its robust pipeline across the MENAT region as well as its newest brand, Edge by Rotana. Launched in May 2022, Edge by Rotana is a collection of independent properties that maintain their individuality while capitalizing on access to Rotana’s extensive network and systems. With the aim to operate around 30 Edge by Rotana properties in the region by 2027, Rotana recently announced the openings of two new Edge by Rotana-managed hotels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)- Arabian Park and Damac Hills 2 in Dubai. The group has also signed an agreement for an Edge by Rotana hotel in Istanbul. Further cementing its prominent position in the Middle East’s hospitality market, Rotana has signed agreements for several new openings across the coming year, including the management agreement of Bloom Arjaan by Rotana located in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island in the UAE. In Oman, Rotana’s new hotel in Muscat’s Al Mouj Development is due to open in the first quarter of next year. The group has also signed for The Residences by Rotana to provide villa accommodation in the port city of Bodrum on Turkey’s southwest coast on the Aegean Sea. While in Qatar, Rotana will open two new properties: Bin Al Sheikh Residences by Rotana and Riviera Rayhaan by …

Experience Abu Dhabi, Find Your Pace will feature at World Travel Market (WTM), welcoming visitors and bringing the destination to life alongside 36 stakeholders and partners, from 7–9 November. The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) will sign a number of strategic partnerships during WTM, and delegates will have the opportunity to maximise their business potential by meeting partnering hotels and attractions. Visitors can unwind and enjoy Abu Dhabi’s living culture, with a celebration of Emirati craftsmanship at the House of Artisans zone, including a perfumery experience that introduces visitors to the fragrances of the emirate. There is also traditional Arabic coffee in the Bait Al Gahwa zone and the Abu Dhabi Senses Journey at the stand’s Cultural zone. Abu Dhabi will enable WTM visitors to experience the top sites and attractions throughout Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Ain, Al Dhafra region and beyond. Attendees will experience how Abu Dhabi offers something for every visitor, available 365 days a year, at your own pace – with rich cultural history, natural beaches, unrivalled family fun and world-class sports offerings. Enriching destination experiences that excite, inspire and restore are showcased within an immersive stand experience that will host Q&As with global sports partners, including Manchester City and the UFC – with a special guest appearance from Batman, courtesy of Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi. Also on display, Abu Dhabi Calendar has partnered with the world’s best artists, entertainers and sports franchises for a 2022/2023 winter season to remember. Events range from live concerts with international stars Sting and Andrea Bocelli, as well as urban music festival Wireless, making its Abu Dhabi debut in March 2023. Other exciting …

The summer report reveals that the current enthusiasm to travel overseas is so strong that a rise in air fares has done relatively little to dampen demand. For example, the average fare from the US to Europe climbed by more than 35% between January and May with no noticeable slowing in booking rates. The report also reveals that Europe has seen the biggest tourism recovery, recording an improvement of 16 percentage points, and is now reporting the highest overall tourist arrival volumes. The European region also illustrates the widespread trend of beach destinations recovering more quickly than their urban counterparts. The continuing revival of leisure travel around the globe during the third quarter of this year (July, August and September) sets the stage for World Travel Market London – the foremost global event for the travel industry – taking place at ExCeL on 7-9 November 2022. A second, end-of-year Travel Outlook Report will be published during World Travel Market London, giving delegates the latest trends and detailed forecasts based on bookings from airlines and travel agencies. Africa and the Middle East are the regions on course to recover most strongly, with Q3 arrivals expected to reach 83% of 2019 levels. It is followed by the Americas, where summer arrivals are expected to reach 76%, Europe (71%) and Asia Pacific (35%). The impressive rebound of summer destinations such as Antalya (Turkey; +81%), Mykonos and Rhodes (both Greece; both +29%) is partly attributable to early reopening and the proactive communication of their countries.  Greece was among the first European nations to reopen to non-essential travel and has been clear and consistent in its messaging throughout the pandemic. It is interesting to note …

Ghaya Grand has announced its participation at WTM in London with a host of new activities to entice the UK market. Speaking about the event, Olwin De Souza, General Manager, Ghaya Grand, stated that a record-breaking number of travellers, totaling 15.79 million flew to Dubai last year, with the UK being the third-largest source of tourists. At Ghaya Grand Hotel, UK guests attract the largest number for our luxury serviced apartments, with numbers steadily increasing for short stay guests, checking into our hotel rooms. The UK market, along with other strong European markets, such as the German and Dutch market, contributed to an increase of 15 per cent growth over last year at Ghaya Grand Hotel. While there have been higher visitors from other top source markets such as China and the Middle East, the UK remains one of the most important feeder markets to the hotels in Dubai. De Souza reiterated that at this year’s WTM participation, they hope to meet with their existing and new travel partners to showcase their five-star model at Ghaya Grand Hotel and share their success story. We would like to reach out to partners on our journey of creating memorable experiences for guests; which they like to share with family, friends and other global travellers to Dubai. Our aim is to consolidate relations built with existing agents and interact with new agents and suppliers, to improve the number of visitors coming to Dubai and especially to Ghaya Grand Hotel.”

The World Travel Market (WTM) London, a much awaited travel event of the year, brought together the travel fraternity from all over the globe. Key exhibitors from the region this year include Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, Ajman Tourism Development Department, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Oman Ministry of Tourism and Jordan Tourism Board. This year’s event will give ample opportunities to a range of new travel experiences and disruptive travel services as well. It will introduce some of the key components that industry specialists need to adapt so as to work towards enhancing the experiences of the many new-age travellers and millennials. More than 80 conference seminars will take place throughout the three days covering all the key sectors pertinent to the Middle East, including aviation, hotels, wedding and honeymoon, gastronomy, sports tourism, responsible tourism, digital influencers, social media and travel technology. Among other highlights is the 300-seater WTM Inspire Theatre, a taste of ILTM joined by a new Wellness & Spa section on the exhibition floor, WTM Speed Networking, and the UNWTO and WTM Ministers’ Summit.

Sharjah’s tourism industry attended the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, in full force this year under a pavilion organised by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Exhibitors presented Sharjah’s tourism destinations, hotels, resorts and amenities at the 2016 exhibition from November 7-9, including Sharjah Investment & Development Authority’s (Shurooq’s) award-winning Mleiha Archaeological and Ecotourism Project. Recently awarded the prestigious Cityscape Global – Best Community, Culture & Tourism Project Award in the Middle East in September, this is the first time that the Mleiha Archaeological and Ecotourism Project has been showcased at WTM. Shurooq has earmarked an estimated AED 250 million (US$ 69m) of investment to develop the tourism and heritage destination over the next few years, which is located in an area of natural beauty 50 kilometres to the east of Sharjah city. Other government authorities participating in WTM include Sharjah Museums Department, which manages 10 museums and a variety of other cultural attractions, and Sharjah’s Environment & Protected Areas Authority (EPAA), which has worked closely with Shurooq in the development of Mleiha. The EPAA has also recently opened two tourist-ready wildlife conservation centres. The Wasit Wetland Centre, in Sharjah’s 4.5 square kilometre Wasit Natural Reserve, was opened to the public in November 2015: a protected area that regularly attracts 150 species of birds, both migratory and resident. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the EPAA opened the new 12 square kilometre Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre located in the Hajjar mountains, near the emirate’s east coast. The wildlife centre includes a visitor centre, tourist amenities and has trained guides are on hand to show visitors the reserve. Other Sharjah exhibitors at WTM 2016 include Al Shaab Village, Copthorne Hotel, …

All stakeholders of travel, tourism and hospitality gathered at the World Travel Market seeking new opportunities at ExCel-London. This time the three day event will address and focus on several issues faced by the trade partners. With the ever changing new trends in travel, tourism and hospitality, there are many emerging new trends in the sectors. There will be more than 80 conference seminars covering all the key sectors including aviation, hotels, sports, tourism, responsible tourism, blogging, social media and travel technology. Do not miss out the WTM Presents Keynotes with tourism expert Doug Lansky and futurist Brian Solis. Also, the latest worldwide travel and tourism industry data (statistics and trends) will be presented by the leading research organisations Euromonitor International, Mintel and Nielsen. Mintel’s session will even cover the impact and opportunities of Brexit on the UK travel market. The WTM Speed Networking in the Global Stage will bring 1,400 exhibitors and more than 200 businesses senior buyers over one session. The two pillars of the WTM London 2016: World Responsible Tourism Day and the prestigious UNWTO & WTM MINISTERS’ SUMMIT will both celebrate their tenth editions this year. Let’s not forget the Travel Tech Show, the UK’s largest travel technology event and the fastest growing region at WTM London. The show brings together the latest products and services in technology to the global travel industry.