Sister events London Travel Week and Travel Forward also host ceremonies
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, and its sister events London Travel Week and Travel Forward, will see an array of awards and prizes given out to recognise the remarkable efforts of travel firms, organisations and professionals amid the pandemic.
The global travel trade will reunite for WTM London and co-located Travel Forward – both being held in person on 1-3 November and virtually on 8-9 November – as well as London Travel Week from 29 October-5 November, giving the industry a chance to celebrate the resilience, innovation and successes of a sector that has seen unprecedented turmoil since March 2020.
Award ceremonies and competitions being held over the busy conference period include:
Submissions have come from destinations and businesses around the world to be judged by an international team of judges drawn from across the industry. The awards are the centrepiece of the Responsible Tourism Programme at WTM
London.
Harold Goodwin, WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor, said: “Every year remarkable new responsible businesses and destinations are ‘discovered’ and recognised through the Awards. Being recognised will bring the winners a business advantage.”
Front Runners Travel Tech Competition
More than 350 start-ups from 80 countries have signed up to enter this competition, which will showcase innovation to a global audience. Run by WTM London, Travel Forward and World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL), it aims to find tech-driven start-ups in three categories: Smart Mobility; Hospitality of the Future; and Experiences Revolution.
Three finalists from each category will attend WTM London and Travel Forward to pitch to an international judging panel and exclusive audience of investors, industry leaders and innovators at the exclusive Front Runners Travel Tech Summit.
Martin Barth, President and CEO at WTFL, said: “We’re confident that Front Runners will offer an exclusive platform for early-stage start-ups to be put in the spotlight and get traction for their solutions.”
One of the highlights of London Travel Week will be the awards ceremony held at Kensington Palace on 2 November by Wanderlust – the leading consumer travel magazine. The ceremony will host the Wanderlust Reader Awards, the Wanderlust World Guide Awards and the Wanderlust Travel Awards.
Elliot Wellsteed-Crook, Chief Operating Officer at Wanderlust, said: “We believe the Wanderlust Travel Awards will be a fantastic moment to bring together, and celebrate, the world’s foremost travel industry leaders in a prestigious setting.”
This award programme is an annual recognition of companies and individuals from around the globe which have had a positive impact on a specific region or sector. The winners will be announced at WTM London on 1 November.
WTM London Exhibition Director Simon Press said: “Our motto at WTM London 2021 is ‘Reconnect. Rebuild. Innovate’ and the winners of the World Travel Leaders Awards will epitomise those values.
“With travel around the world beginning to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic, these awards will recognise how our sector reacted with grit and determination, while introducing new ideas and forging ahead despite all the setbacks. We hope our winners will inspire others as we move into 2022 and a strong bounce-back.”
ENDS –
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events, online portals and virtual platforms across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating over £3.71 billion in travel industry contracts. In 2020, WTM Virtual facilitated 20,000+ meetings and held 42 live content sessions over the 3-days show.
Next live event: Monday 1 to 3 November 2021 at ExCel London
Next WTM Virtual: Monday 8 to 9 November 2021 – Virtual
Travel Forward London is the leading travel technology event, co-located with WTM London. Travel Forward is renowned for showcasing the next-generation technologies for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Over 19,000 travel officials and 150+ innovative solution providers attend for 3 days of cutting-edge insights, open debate and unrivalled networking opportunities. The combination of a 2-day conference, interactive exhibition and start-up showcase makes Travel Forward truly unique.
Next live event: Monday 1 November to Wednesday 3 November 2021 at ExCel London
Next Travel Forward Virtual: Monday 8 November to Tuesday 9 November 2021 – Virtual
London Travel Week, brought to you by WTM London, is the one-stop-shop for event hosts and visitors to be able to shape the next 12 months of travel together. The festival of events supports the global travel and tourism industry through capturing invaluable news and enhancing industry connections.
Next event: Friday 29 October – Friday 5 November 2021
https://londontravelweek.wtm.com/
WTM Virtual is the WTM Portfolio virtual platform, created to offer global delegates the chance to arrange one-to-one virtual meetings, to do business, attend conference sessions and roundtables, take part in speed networking and more. WTM Virtual embrace the global leading travel shows in one platform.
WTM Latin America takes place annually in São Paulo and attracts around 19,000 tourism professionals during a three-day event. The show offers qualified content, as well as networking and business opportunities. In its ninth edition – the first 100% virtual – WTM Latin America followed its focus on effective business generation and reached the milestone of 4,200 meetings held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors.
Next event: Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 April 2022 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. More than 6,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors.
Next event: Monday 11 to Wednesday 13 April 2022 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) now on its 29th year, is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2021 showcased over 1,300 exhibiting companies from 62 countries across nine halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, with visitors from more than 140 countries over the four days. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #IdeasArriveHere
Next in-person event: Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 May 2022, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2022. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes ATM Virtual, ILTM Arabia, Arival Dubai, Influencers’ events and activations, as well as Travel Forward. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, ATM Speed Networking Events as well as a series of country summits.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
WTM Global Hub is the new WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/
About RX (Reed Exhibitions)
RX is in the business of building businesses for individuals, communities and organisations. We elevate the power of face to face events by combining data and digital products to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 400 events in 22 countries across 43 industry sectors. RX is passionate about making a positive impact on society and is fully committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.rxglobal.com
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