In recent years, we have seen a rapid increase in the proportion of holidaymakers making their own independent travel arrangements, driven by the growth of the budget travellers and the rise of the websites which facilitate direct bookings. Nonetheless, outbound tour operators and the charters they provide continue to play a major role in providing tourists in destinations.

This year at WTM we have a panel on Partnerships for Better Tourism in Destinations. It takes place on Monday 3rd November, the first time that we have had a Responsible Tourism panel on the day restricted to exhibitors, exhibitor invitees, ministers, speakers and international press.

This panel presents a unique opportunity for senior managers in outbound tourism to discuss with those responsible for sustainable destinations management how the outbound industry in source markets can best partner with destinations to make tourism better.

Martin Brackenbury, formerly a director of Thomson (1980 – 1998), then Chairmen of the Federation of Tour Operators (1984-2006), and President of the International Federation of Tour Operators (1990-2010), will chair the panel, and will be quizzing the participants about how they can best co-operate as partners in developing better tourism.

Martin was instrumental in the first initiative to create a model of sustainable tourism in the mid-1990s, when the outbound industry partnered with the Calvia Municipality on Mallorca to identify the sustainability challenges and to address them. Twenty years on, and Calvia’s Cristian Alfaro Park, Head of the Tourism Department in the Ayuntamiento de Calviá, is on the panel at WTM. It offers an opportunity to look back at what has happened since and to consider some of the current challenges.

Garry Wilson, Managing Director Purchasing at TUI Travel PLC, will be on the panel to talk about TUI’s perspective. Meanwhile, Patrick Torrent, Executive Director, of the Catalan Tourist Board will be there to reflect on some of the big challenges confronting Barcelona and how the outbound operators can assist in managing tourism in Catalunya. Noel Josephides Managing Director of Sunvil Holidays, and Chairman of ABTA, will be reflecting on what specialist operators contribute to the making of destinations and why they should contribute. Finally, with ABTA committed to contributing to creating thriving destinations, the panel will welcome Nikki White, Head of Destinations and Sustainability. She will be sharing her experience of working with destinations to make them better places to visit and better for business.

Partnership for Better Tourism in Destinations

Monday 3 November 2014 15:30 – 16:30

Location: Travel Tech Theatre – TT390

Read about the entire Responsible Tourism Programme for WTM London here.