Expected to expand by 10% in terms of floor space and 8% in terms of attendance, the 2025 edition will have spaces dedicated to mobility, travel providers and experiences, as well as introducing a system that will allow visitors to collect and store exhibitors’ information using a new technological feature.
Exactly six months after the closure of the biggest edition in its history, WTM Latin America announces new features that promise to raise the bar even higher for the 2025 event. The information comes from Bianca Pizzolito, Event Leader at WTM Latin America. The executive talks about the expected growth in attendance and exhibition space, about the new areas that will debut at the event and highlights the range of technological tools available to exhibitors and visitors, as well as reinforcing the theme of the edition confirmed to be held on April 14 to 16, at Expo Center Norte.
“Building the future was this year’s theme and now we’re focusing on an offshoot of that, addressing the positive impact of technology on human relations with the theme ‘Where tech meets touch’ to emphasize the importance of technology in building an intelligent, agile and sustainable future,” he says. “Technology encourages human interaction, which in turn is the basis of tourism. People travel to meet each other and business happens from that meeting”, she adds.
As well as featuring in the three theaters that democratize visitors’ access to qualified content, practical tips and cases, the central theme at WTM Latin America is also aligned with the event’s positioning. “All the events in the WTM portfolio are moving towards becoming smart events. Smart events make it clear that the digital format doesn’t end in itself, and that on-site attendance format doesn’t end in itself either, but that the combination of the two enhances events,” she points out.
In this sense, the event offers a package of tools that supports WTM in fulfilling its main purpose: to generate business. The first of these is the Exhibitor Dashboard, an information panel where, in a visual and easy way, the exhibitor can access the metrics of their participation in the event. “It’s through this page that he can monitor which products are being accessed the most, from which regions of the world the greatest interest in his products comes from and based on this information, build a strategy. That way, when the event starts, he’s already clear about what he needs to prioritize in order to work more efficiently during the trade fair,” Bianca explains.
Another tool offered to exhibitors is the Emperia, which collects, stores and categorizes information about all the people who have visited the stand. At the end of the event, exhibitors have access to a report with data from all these visits. “It’s a way of working with data in an intelligent and agile way, since every day the exhibitor has their leads organized and qualified. As a result, exhibiting companies gain agility in their post-event actions,” he recalls.
A new feature for this year is the Colleqt, a tool that makes the visitor the main character. All booths will now have a QR Code for visitors to scan and collect the data. The exhibitor decides what he wants to share – institutional material, brochures, packages, rates or any other data, by uploading it to the platform – and receives the information from the visitor who is interested in obtaining that information. “In this way, we also offer an autonomous form of participation and open up a new front in terms of sustainability and innovation, as well as converging with the central theme of the event,” Bianca argues, as the tool is already in use at WTM London.
Jonathan Heastie, Director at WTM Portfolio since May 2024, points out that “in terms of trends impacting the global tourism industry, we see a growing demand for unique and memorable travel experiences. I’m pleased to see this topic presented at the WTM Latin America 2025 through new areas alongside the event’s already strong focus on Diversity and Inclusion within the sector, which also continues to manifest itself strongly as a key area of focus across the global industry,” said the executive who has been part of the company’s leadership for 15 years.
New areas
The 2025 plant will undergo changes with a new sector arrangement that will make it even easier to visit, optimizing visitors’ time. The event debuts the Mobility area which will bring together stands from car rental companies, airlines, railway companies and others related to mobility. “We saw that we needed to rethink the layout because we had exhibitors looking for an area to belong to, because they didn’t want to limit themselves to a certain geographical region,” Bianca explains. In the same vein, the Travel Providers dedicated to any company that horizontally provides services or products to the tourism industry.
In terms of size, 2025 WTM Latin America will see a 10% increase in the exhibition area, with the expansion of areas dedicated to Brazilian and Latin American destinations, a legacy from 2024 that will remain for next year. “We understand that the plant is a reflection of what’s happening in the market, so this expansion is linked to current demand,” she says. Another novelty contributing to this increase is the debut of a new area dedicated to experiences.
“It’s one of our big bets, since every year we see this trend towards interaction at events,” Bianca says. The activations that already took place spontaneously at the stands now have their own area, with the participation of exhibitors who will bring immersive and interactive experiences to visitors. The area will also feature a concert space, as was the case at the 2024 edition.
Driving forward-thinking in sustainability debates, WTM Latin America follows the guideline of diversity in terms of speakers and themes in the three theaters. “Half of the speakers must be women, and the other half must belong to minorities who will have to take to the stage to address technical issues,” Bianca recalls.
The Diversity Route will continue and will be expanded – the first edition of the project highlighted exhibitors with products and services related to three axes: LGBTQIAP+ Tourism, Afrotourism, and 60+ Tourism. “Remembering that the Diversity Route is a recognition of what is already happening in the market. It gives visibility to what already exists,” he says. The themes of the Route also guided the theaters’ programming, which will continue in 2025. “As well as believing in these themes as core values, this positioning is in line with global trends, since we are talking about niches that generate significant business movement. Afrotourism, for example, is now one of Brazil’s greatest tourism powers and we see this reverberating in Latin America as well,” Bianca points out.
The fifth edition of the Responsible Tourism Award has been confirmed, as has the opening model, with a guest speaker addressing a current topic that relates to the central debate proposed by the event. “Trends in sustainability issues also greatly influence what we do. Echoing the importance of these topics, the award will undoubtedly promote the most inspiring and relevant stories from the travel and tourism industry to promote sustainable development across the continent,” Bianca argues.
The link with Latin America will continue to be strengthened in the thematic programming of the theaters and in the alliance with partners who will bring up important issues for the continent. “We want to encourage even more Latin American visitors to the event. In addition to research and content relevant to the sector, we will emphasize buyers from this region in our Hosted Buyers program, where we should have a minimum of 50% Latin American buyers,” Bianca said.