WTM London announces 2024 conference program

Edited by Travel Weekly

World Travel Market London has confirmed more than 60 conference sessions, bringing together leading experts to cement its reputation as the world’s most influential travel and tourism event.

With regenerative tourism and transformative technologies within the mix of exciting discussion points, WTM London is set to be a platform for positive change.

“We believe that travel has the power to change the world and World Travel Market allows visitors the opportunity to be part of the movement that shapes it,” exhibition director World Travel Market London, Juliette Losardo, said.

The sessions are split into six Conference Tracks, all of which are carefully curated by a panel of conference advisors, to guide visitors to the topics of most benefit to them and where they can dive into discussions with peers and experts.

Conference tracks

Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion (DEAI)
Geo-Economics
Marketing
Sustainability
Travel Trends
Technology

Following a 29 per cent increase in attendance across the conference sessions in 2023, this year the stages have increased in size. To ease navigation, this year’s conference theatres will be named in line with the colour scheme in corresponding regions. The Yellow Theatre will sit within the Africa region, Orange Theatre within Asia and Purple Theatre in Tech.

In addition, different days will be dedicated to specific topics, with sessions gathered into summits.

Highlights include:

5 November

The conference’s opening day kicks off with the unveiling of the WTM Global Travel Report, curated by WTM and supported by renowned researchers, Oxford Economics. This draws on extensive data from more than 185 countries to give valuable insights into consumer behaviour and trends likely to shape the industry.

The Technology Summit follows, with the theme of Frictionless Journeys. Visitors can discover how to implement user cases for new technologies and find out more about the intersection between AI and loyalty schemes.

The DEAI Summit also takes place on the first day, providing a safe platform to showcase the future of diversity, accessibility, equity, inclusion, and intersectionality (DEAI) in tourism.

6 November

The second day will see over 50 of travel’s most influential political figures gather at the 18th Ministers Summit at World Travel Market, in association with UN Tourism and WTTC. Emerging Technology’s Potential for Good in Tourism in this year’s theme. Policymakers will debate the transformative potential of AI and other emerging technologies in shaping the future of travel and hospitality against the ethical implications of their deployment.

7 November

Thursday’s Marketing Summit pulls apart the evolution of travel marketing in the digital age, sessions covering how digital tools are driving changes in marketing techniques and the importance of storytelling throughout the traveller journey. This is followed by the return of the Influencer’s Lunch, offering content creators the chance to connect with peers and exhibitors seeking exciting collaboration.

The highly anticipated Keynote Speech closes this year’s event. The speaker is yet to be announced but with previous guests including documentary maker Louis Theroux and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, it’s set to be an inspiring and thought-provoking session.

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WTM London 2024