Executives from Expedia, Skyscanner and Booking.com will speak on WTM London’s content stages when the show runs at ExCeL London on November 3-5, organisers said.
High-growth outbound markets in India, China, the Middle East and Africa get dedicated sessions on the Trends Stage, while Cape Town’s economic growth chief will set out how fast-growing destinations can prepare for their next phase. Exhibitors already confirmed include Malaysia Airlines, which is bringing its largest-ever stand.
“This year’s programme reflects where the industry is heading, with data-led insight on the Trends Stage, practical thinking on the Future Stage, and creative problem-solving in the Experience Hub,” said Chris Carter-Chapman, event director at WTM London.
Stephen Cheng, vice president of B2B at Expedia Group, opens the Trends Stage with a keynote on telling fads from lasting trends, moderated by Dan Christian, founder of the Travel Trends Podcast.
On day two, Kirsty Webster, head of sustainability for industry at Skyscanner, will examine how heatwaves, wildfires and flooding are changing the commercial viability of destinations and lifting demand for cooler places and shoulder seasons. She is joined by Iceland Travel CEO Helgi Eysteinsson and Stephen Joyce of Protect Group.
Journalist Ash Bhardwaj closes the stage on day three with a session on travellers who want contradictory things from the same trip. Other sessions cover AI and search, luxury, family and silver travellers, and loyalty.
The Future Stage features Julie Cheetham, chief executive of sustainable travel coalition Travalyst, and James Healey, vice president of product experience at Booking.com. Its programme includes more than a dozen sessions on AI, data and automation, an aviation day covering route development and decarbonisation, and a debate on overtourism.
Day three hosts the Travel Massive Investor & Entrepreneur Meet Up, pairing founders with backers. Louise Truman, founder of Plotpackers, who won investment on Dragons’ Den this summer, will speak.
The Experience Hub, aimed at marketers, covers halal tourism, accessible travel, niche markets and women in travel. Ruby Gelderbloem, executive director of economic growth at the City of Cape Town, will speak alongside Richard Thompson, CEO of accessible travel specialist Inclu Group, and Grace Miller of Experiment Media, who gives a keynote on failure.
A panel on customer experience brings together Janet Parton, VP of marketing, PR and customer experience at Celestyal, and Claudine Pohl, CEO of Lemoneight Consulting.
The three stages run alongside the WTM Wanderlust Headliner Stage, whose line-up of tourism ministers and industry CEOs was announced earlier.
WTM London is an annual travel trade show at ExCeL London, organised by RX Global.
