Tourist boards, luxury operators, emerging destinations and technology specialists from a wide range of sectors and countries are among the 213 new exhibitors confirmed for World Travel Market 2014, the leading global event for the industry.
Almost a quarter of the new businesses attending this year are in the Travel Tech Show at WTM, reflecting the success of last year’s inaugural show.
Another show at WTM – A Taste of ILTM at WTM – has attracted 39 new exhibitors, the same number as those making their debut in the Europe region.
All WTM regions will host new exhibitors: Asia has wooed 19 new exhibitors, as has the UK and Ireland zone; while Africa has 15, the Middle East has eight; and North America has five. The Global Village section is proving again that it is another popular zone for newcomers, with 24.
The Travel Tech Show at WTM welcomes 47 new exhibitors, including large, well-established suppliers of travel technology such as Vertical Systems, Multicom and HitchHiker; ancillary providers such as HolidayTaxis.com; and niche specialists such as Feedback Ferret, which gathers and analyses customer feedback.
The 39 new exhibitors in A Taste of ILTM at WTM include German airline Lufthansa; a wide range of upmarket hotels and resorts; and tourist boards such as Tourism New Zealand and VisitScotland.
Like the Travel Tech Show, A Taste of ILTM made its debut in 2013 – helping the event facilitating £2.2 billion of industry deals.
The European economy continues to improve and this has helped boost WTM’s Europe section, with 39 new exhibitors. They include well-known tourist boards such as Visit Denmark, and tourism agencies for destinations such as Crete and Sicily.
Tourism bodies representing less-well known but emerging destinations are also attending, such as Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russian Finnish Lapland.
The Asia-Pacific region welcomes 19 new exhibitors, including six from India. Again, the newcomers demonstrate the emergence of destinations that have been off the beaten track, such as specialists from Myanmar, North Korea, Mongolia and Nepal. Cambodia is also welcomed back with a bigger presence than ever before after a year’s absence from WTM.
The rise of tourism in Africa is reflected in the 15 new exhibitors in this region, including tour operators, safari specialists and hotels, along with tourism organisations from Equatorial Guinea, Senegal and Sudan.
The Americas region, which covers North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, will welcome exhibitors as diverse as the famous New York attraction Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square, interCaribbean Airways and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
The Middle East is responsible for a further six new exhibitors including Saudi Arabian airline flynas and the Ajman Tourism Development Department, showing how the market in this region is growing and evolving
Among the 24 new exhibitors in the Global Village are international brands such as Dubai travel provider dnata – which owns Gold Medal Travel Group and Travel Republic – and Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, plus suppliers and agents in different sectors, such as Economy Car Hire, Harley-Davidson Authorized Rentals & Tours and AceRooms.com.
Finally, 19 new exhibitors from the UK and Ireland span the length and breadth of the country, from City of Edinburgh Tours down to Visit Kent, and include suppliers such as Heathrow Shuttle and See Tickets.
World Travel Market, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “It is great to see more than 200 new exhibitors for WTM 2014, and I’m delighted to see the sheer range of destinations, attractions and sectors that they represent.
“It proves that the travel industry is a vibrant business with endless variety – and WTM is the global event which reflects that diversity and prosperity. They have all chosen to exhibit at WTM 2014 because of the unrivalled business opportunities the event offers.”
