Thousands of travel industry professionals from more than 140 countries have gathered at WTM London for the largest industry gathering since the pandemic began. The continuing relaxation of travel rules in the UK and overseas in recent weeks has prompted a surge in exhibitor bookings and buyer registrations because travel to England is now easier.

For those who cannot attend in person, WTM & TF Virtual will take place online on November 8-9, offering further opportunities for networking and business deals.

These stand bookings demonstrate how many countries see the UK as an important source market in their recovery roadmap – and that WTM London is perfectly timed for 2022 inventory. The event is also hosting tourism ministers from across the globe, industry experts, keynote speakers and members of the press.

Alongside the valuable face-to-face networking opportunities, WTM London is featuring important sessions with insights and research about how the sector can recover from the pandemic and reflect the event’s theme: Reconnect. Rebuild. Innovate. The show started with the presentation of the annual WTM Industry Report, which sets out the key trends that exhibitors and buyers need to know.

WTM London is also hosting the Travel Forward conference, which focuses on the technology driving the industry’s recovery, and International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) which is holding the ‘Invest Finance Restart’ investment summit (1-2 November), bringing together investors, thought leaders, destinations and entrepreneurs.

Investment will also be the theme of the annual UNWTO, WTTC and WTM Ministers’ Summit on 2 November which provides a practical platform for tourism leaders of the public and private sectors to share best practices and explore investment opportunities. The Summit will welcome more than 30 Tourism Ministers.

UK Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “It’s been a challenging period for the travel and tourism sectors, but the huge international attendance at the World Travel Market is testament to the resilience and hard work of those in the industry. This landmark event in the travel sector calendar is once again offering brilliant opportunities to reconnect, innovate and build back better for the future.”