A quick look at the recent past, without losing sight of the future that lies ahead. This was the motto of the first meeting of the members of the Advisory Board of WTM Latin America, a group made up of executives from different sectors of the tourism industry in Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay. “I want to reinforce that this board is made up of people and not by the positions they currently hold, since we take into account the professional career of each person to compose the group with different experiences and visions that encourage discussions and contribute to the growth of the event,” summarizes Bianca Bianca Pizzolito, Event Leader of WTM Latin America.
The first part was dedicated to presenting “Where Tech meets Touch”, the 2025 theme that was widely accepted and received positive feedback from the board members. Bianca also reinforced the results of the 2024 edition, the largest and best in history, and shared the goals for next year. “We see the growth curve happening and, for 2025, we expect an 8% larger audience, with a large contribution from a flow of visits from professionals from Latin America,” the executive said. She also reinforced the goal of increasing the number of participants in the Hosted Buyers program by 24%, also counting on a greater participation of invited buyers from different Latin American countries.
The new features planned for the 2025 edition were also on the agenda, including the launch of three areas – Mobility, Experiences and Travel Suppliers –, the expansion of the scope of the Diversity Route and the offer of tools that make WTM Latin America a smart event – Lead Manager App (formerly Emperia) data collector, the Exhibitor Dashboard that brings analytical data and Colleqt, a new tool that will allow visitors to collect data from participating companies through QR Code. “Smart events are the guiding line of RX. In this sense, we have built this idea every year, investing in the integration between the digital and the physical, which has total synergy with the theme of the next edition,” he defines.
Present and future
Another highlight of the meeting was the presentation of a survey conducted by Euromonitor International, a global business research company that analyzes and identifies consumer trends in different industries, including tourism. Mikaely Correa, survey analyst at Euromonitor International, shared strategic insights, starting with the importance of personalization, as the study reveals the emergence of eight new traveler profiles: eco-adventurer, blended traveler, leisure seeker, cultural explorer, luxury seeker, digital traveler, wellness worshipper and adventure lover. Preferences change according to the traveler's origin, with Latin Americans and North Americans preferring entertainment-related attractions and Europeans favoring the cultural offering of destinations, for example.
“Aspects such as promoting relaxation and safety are at the top of the list for all tourists, regardless of their nationality,” Mikaely reinforces. The researcher also reveals that attractions and services aimed at promoting well-being are those that have grown the most in searches, with an increase of 46.7% between 2019 and 2024.
According to data analytics firm Euromonitor International, the tourism industry is expected to close the year with total revenues of US$2.8 trillion, placing it ahead of other markets such as wellness and personal care, which are also highly relevant in Latin America. Latin America is in fourth place in this ranking, with revenues estimated at almost US$200 billion in 2024, representing 7% of the total revenues of the global industry in 2024. North America leads the share, with revenue projections of US$800 billion, followed by Western Europe and Asia-Pacific. In the study's projection, the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is 7.6% between 2025 and 2029.
The following people participated in the meeting, in alphabetical order: Ana Biselli, Bruno Reis, Danielle Roman, Estela Farina, Fabio Godinho, Mariana Aldrigui, Mariella Volppe, Natalia Pisoni and Paola Gomes, in addition to the WTM Latin America team, led by Bianca Pizzolito.
Bianca took advantage of the meeting to also announce the creation of a group focused on deepening the Latin American character of the event, bringing discussions, agendas and strategies that will guide future actions at the event. “The idea is that the group meets periodically to develop strategies and perspectives so that the event becomes more and more Latin,” Bianca concludes.
Source: WTM Latin America.