WTM London 2024 closes with an 11% increase in qualified buyers

The 44th edition, held at Excel London from 5-7 November 2024, welcomed 5,049 buyers, a substantial increase of 11 per cent, and almost 500 additional buyers, compared to the 4,560 buyers welcomed at the 2023 edition.

Bigger and better than ever, total attendance at the event increased by six per cent to 46,316 people, with many travel professionals attending for two or three days. To accommodate the additional visitors, the event increased its scale by almost eight per cent, adopting new halls within Level 0 of Excel London, where visitors could enjoy large conference stages and reception areas.

In line with the event's expansion, a record number of private sector exhibitors were present, with exhibitor participation increasing to 4,047, another eight percent increase compared to last year.

Continuing to deliver measurable value for attendees, confirmed business meetings also increased by a phenomenal 17 percent in 2024, with 34,082 previously scheduled meetings facilitated, compared to 29,075 last year.

Hunger for change

WTM London, which will spearhead conversations that will shape the travel and tourism industry throughout 2025, focused on the ‘power of travel’ and how attendees – including tourism bodies, hoteliers, transport services, technology brands, associations and experiences – can use their platforms to create positive change. Reflecting this, the event’s exciting conference programme featured over 200 world-class speakers delivering over 70 insightful sessions around the themes of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI), Geoeconomics, Marketing, Sustainability, Travel Trends and Technology.

Demonstrating the strength of the sector and the desire to be at the forefront of creating positive change, more than 80 new exhibitors made their inaugural appearance at WTM London 2024, including KOS Island, Nimax Theatres, Latvia Travel, Riyadh Air, Grand Prix Grand Tours, Barclaycard Payments and Regnum Hotels.

Leading the way

Artificial intelligence (AI) was on the agenda at the Ministers’ Summit, which brought together more than 50 of the travel industry’s most influential policy figures. In its 18th year, and organised in partnership with UN Tourism and the World Travel and Tourism Council, leaders discussed the potential of emerging technologies to facilitate good in tourism. Attendees agreed that AI can bring about positive change, but that the voice of the tourism industry must be heard as governments begin to establish guidelines and guardrails.

The highly anticipated WTM World Travel Report 2024 was also unveiled on the first day of the show. The annual report, produced in collaboration with Tourism Economics, draws on comprehensive data from more than 185 countries to provide a comprehensive global perspective on the tourism sector. It revealed that international tourist arrivals are expected to reach a record 1.5 billion in 2024, surpassing 2019 figures. By 2030, international visitors staying at least one night in their destination are projected to have grown by more than 30 percent to 2 billion.

Better together

To sum it all up, comedian and TV star Katherine Ryan closed the show with a fascinating talk on how travel industry leaders can foster a culture of positivity, inclusion and gratitude to drive transformative change.

Juliette Losardo, WTM London Exhibition Director, said: “It has been an incredible three days where we have come together as one global tourism community. At an event packed with knowledge, ideas, camaraderie and enthusiasm, we have planted the seeds for an exciting year ahead, full of positive change.

“From meetings to attendance to available space, our increased presence across every metric shows not only how much the travel sector is thriving, but also the desire to find solutions to our challenges, seize our opportunities and work together to ensure the travel industry uses its platform and potential as a beacon for good.”

Source: WTM London.