The Great Travel Reset: WTM London's Crystal Ball

my thoughts from World Travel Market (WTM) London : AI, Overtourism, adventure, and authenticity: Inside the exhibition that's shaping the future of global tourism.

I hadn't been to WTM since before the pandemic, but this year, I jumped at the chance to return as a speaker at World Travel Market London 2024, which ran from 5th to 7th November at ExCeL London. The show saw a brilliant 7% growth, with more than 4,000 exhibitors from 184 countries, making it the largest edition yet (the organizers say).

The WTM Global Travel Report 2024, unveiled at the London show, gives us a fascinating look at what's emerging in global travel. Here are the key takeaways from the report, which were thoroughly discussed throughout the event's programme.

Travel Remains a Top Priority Despite the economic squeeze - you know, inflation and those pesky interest rate hikes - people are still putting their holidays first when it comes to discretionary spending. The share of consumer spending on travel has actually risen to 8.8% in 2024, up from 8.2% in 2010-2019. It seems we're all rather determined to get away, even if it costs a bit more these days.

Tourism's Global Comeback 2023 proved to be a cracking year for international tourism, reaching 86% of pre-pandemic levels. Leisure travel is leading the charge, making up about 60% of international journeys. The Middle East has been particularly impressive, with tourist arrivals up 13% compared to 2019 - thanks to some massive events and rather clever tourism promotion.

The Rise of 'Bleisure' (again!) and Adventure Holidays One of the most interesting trends - though not entirely new - is how business and leisure travel are increasingly mixing, or 'bleisure' as it's known in the trade. Despite predictions that video calls would kill off business travel, these hybrid trips have come roaring back. Business visits grew by 19% in 2024, outpacing leisure travel's 11% growth. The forecast suggests business travel will surge by 50% between 2024 and 2030, with leisure travel growing at a slightly slower pace.

There's also been a proper boom in adventure travel and unique experiences. Nearly a third of travellers (29%) say they're more keen on exciting activities - fancy volcano-boarding in Nicaragua or cage-diving with sharks in South Africa, anyone? This is especially true among well-heeled tourists looking for something different and often rather daring.

The Slow Travel Movement Post-pandemic, people are taking their time with travel. In 2024, international hotel stays are typically 12% longer than in 2019. It's part of a broader shift towards 'slow travel' - people would rather get to know a place than dash about ticking boxes.

Green Travel Concerns Environmental awareness is definitely on the rise. The report shows 29% of travellers have steered clear of places prone to extreme weather over the past year. More than half (53%) are trying to reduce their carbon footprint while travelling, and 65% acknowledge that tourism isn't favouring the environment.

AI Takes Centre Stage (naturally!) At WTM London 2024, Artificial Intelligence was all anyone could talk about regarding the future of tourism. The Technology Summit saw loads of discussion about how AI might make travel smoother and more personalised. The Ministers' Summit brought together over 50 tourism bigwigs to chat about emerging tech, including AI, and how it might shake up the industry. The focus was on using AI to streamline operations, boost customer service and create more engaging, tailored travel experiences.

A practical example came from British tech firm Inspiretec, who showed off their new "Agent" platform - a clever bit of kit designed to make travel agents' lives easier. It uses AI to help search options, customise itineraries and confirm bookings, saving agents precious time while making everything more efficient. They were keen to stress that AI's here to support travel agents, not replace them - it's about enhancing service quality and customer experience rather than pushing people out. It's refreshing to see this balanced approach to AI adoption, where human expertise works alongside technological capabilities.

The conference programme at WTM London 2024 really hammered home AI's potential to transform tourism, while encouraging a productive dialogue between technological innovation and human expertise to enhance both the travel experience and industry productivity.

WTM Global Travel Report In association with Tourism Economics