World Travel Market 2013.

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WORLD TRAVELMARKET: 

A BRIEF LOOK INTO ONE OF LONDON’S MOST EXCLUSIVE GLOBAL TRAVEL EVENTS.

This year saw a variety of international tour operators and travel professionals gather in the confines of the Excel Exhibition Centre for World Travel Market; one of London's most exclusive global travel events. As my first time visiting, it was overwhelming to see its increasing popularity as a place to network with other like-minded experts within the field of leisure and tourism. The open area hosted uniquely stunning exhibits that had been divided up into different continents of the world and a mixture of sit in cafes and restaurants meant universal cuisine was readily available.

A range of educational seminars were held upstairs in a number of different conference rooms; including a lecture regarding the Youth Travel Industry. David Chapman, Director General at the WYSE Travel Confederation, outlined the company's most recent 'New Horizons' survey, that measures the travel profile of young people around the world, comparing the desires of an average "backpacker" to that of the more upmarket "flashpacker." He revealed "what we've seen is a very significant growth in the over 30 age group" whilst continuing to add "this reflects that the youth travel market is getting progressively older." Their findings showed that there was a decline in the original "backpacker" tradition, making way for the rise of the contemporary "flashpacker" as people look to find more value for money when it comes to planning their journey. "We're often asked, what is the difference between a hotel and hostel? And the answer is the 's' which stands for social" said Chapman. The report further states that youth travellers now make up 20% of international tourism*.

The following seminar was part-led by Gary Bembridge from tipsfortravellers.com. Having started out with a keen interest in travel blogging, the first hand advice given on lifestyle, how to tailor and how to promote content, particularly by Austria-born blogger Nadine Pober, was both refreshing and enriching. "I am not only able to meet brands and destinations as well as other bloggers in person" commented Nadine personally, "you can attend lots of sessions and every country in the world is here."

The seminar as a whole outlined the subtle connection between what content travellers want to read compared to what bloggers think they want to read, which boiled down to one key element; information. "If you want to create content for travellers, you have to understand it from the mindset of travellers" declared Bembridge, and added that "whether we're travel bloggers or you're travel providers, bear in mind that travellers don't travel." It was stated that recent statistics show 80% of traveller's travel less than six weeks a year, with 40% of those only travelling over two weeks. So if you're looking to better your blog, create content that caters to the traveller's needs, from primary experience in saving money (54%) to reviews and recommendations (52%) and simple travel tips (48%)*.

Although I'd only attended one day of the annual four day event, there was plenty more of the exhibition yet to be explored. Admittedly the meet and greet can be a tiring process, but I guarantee it is a must see for anyone looking to make invaluable contacts within the travel industry. Hope to see you all next year. 

*http://wysetc.org/research/consumer-data/new-horizons-lll/ [Accessed 17/11/2013]
*http://thinkdigital.travel/best-practice/creating-content-for-travellers/ [Accessed 17/11/2013]