TTN

A Virtual success for WTM

Share  

The recently concluded WTM Virtual held important meetings such as International Tourism & Investment Conference, UNWTO, WTTC & WTM Ministers’ Summit and the first meeting of ministers from Israel, UAE and Bahrain since the signing of the Abraham Accord

 

World Travel Market (WTM) Virtual ran online from November 9 to 11 this year hosting online meetings between the international travel community and received positive feedback from participants. The conference sessions hosted top politicians, leading academics, health experts and the world’s media, as the travel industry plans for recovery in 2021. The online event included the Travel Forward Virtual and International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC).

 

MINISTERS’ SUMMIT

Greater international coordination and a widespread antigen testing regime are the most important factors for restarting tourism according to the UNWTO, WTTC and WTM Ministers’ Summit.

"Antigen is the solution, in our mind," said Gloria Guevara, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council during a panel discussion entitled Leading the Way to Recovery, Rebuilding Confidence, on Monday of WTM Virtual.

Ministers agreed that the focus needed to shift from PCR tests to Antigen tests, which give rapid results and are cheaper to produce.

 

ITIC INVESTMENT SUMMIT

Representatives from all sectors of travel and tourism took part in the ITIC Investment Summit to discuss ways to boost business recovery and restore traveller confidence.

In partnership with WTM Virtual, the ITIC Investment Summit – called Invest, Finance and Rebuild the Travel and Tourism Industry – was a coming together of finance experts, analysts, tourism ministers, aviation bodies and hoteliers, among other sectors.

Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman of ITIC & former Secretary-General UNWTO said: "This crisis has taught us that we have to travel very, very responsibly. The idea of over tourism, which was so prevalent before will disappear, I’m sure. Governments were so preoccupied with growth and business they didn’t listen to this. Travel is going to come back very strongly, but it will come back in a new way."

Among speakers who have ‘pivoted’ their business, was Sir Tim Clark, President of the airline Emirates, who explained how the carrier is offering COVID insurance for passengers, which will cover their medical expenses, as well as changing emphasis from flying passengers to flying medical equipment and PPE around the globe and is looking at flying the vaccine to different parts of the world when it is approved for global use.

Meanwhile, Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, said replacing retail units with cinemas and bowling alleys could be a way to claw back revenue that he fears could be lost forever as more people move to online shopping after Covid-19.

He’s also considering an in-flight digital catalogue system where passengers browse for products at their leisure, order them, then pick them up on arrival at the airport.

He said: "A sinister long-term effect of COVID is that on-line retail has done really well. Airlines and airports need to think of a new model.

"It takes 24 minutes to consider a duty free purchase. Let’s use that eight to 10-hour flight before people arrive at the airport to select from a digital catalogue, then pick their purchases up when they land."

He told airlines: "You provide us with the customers and you can land for free."

Speaking from a global hotel group’s perspective, Simon Vincent, President Hilton, EMEA, said leisure business started to return in Q3 adding: "There is clearly a lot of pent-up demand, but travellers need confidence."

Delegates were in agreement that testing is crucial to kick-starting confidence among flyers, business travellers and leisure visitors.

Another concern, expressed by Nicolas Mayer, Global Tourism Leader at PWC, is the huge loss of talent in the global travel industry.

Hilton’s Simon Vincent said trying keep staff was a major challenge: "We have 400,000+ team members on a global basis. We are trying to hold on to them. They have been doing an amazing job in difficult circumstances," he said.

And Dale Keller, CEO, Board of Airline Representatives UK warned talk of a recovery was premature: "We talk about a recovery. We haven’t even got through the restart yet," he said.

 

EUROMONITOR

The Euromonitor session at WTM Virtual concluded that digital and sustainable innovations will boost travel recovery.

According to Euromonitor International at WTM Virtual, creative new ideas in digital and sustainable technologies will help travel and tourism to rebound after the pandemic.

The global research specialist said its best-case scenario sees the travel and tourism sector taking at least three years to recover to pre-coronavirus levels.

However, the industry has a chance to build a more sustainable, equitable future, said Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel Research at Euromonitor International. "We have an amazing chance to reset and chart a better path forward," she said on the first morning of WTM Virtual.

She was presenting the findings of Euromonitor International’s major global study, called Accelerating Travel Innovation After Coronavirus. The report said global tourism arrivals will plunge by 57 per cent in 2020 and the sector could take three to five years to recover, depending on the availability of a vaccine.

Called ‘Accelerating Travel Innovations after Coronavirus’, the study will also reveal how the travel industry is innovating in order to survive the devastating impact of the pandemic.

 

YOUGOV RESEARCH

YouGov research also revealed that Gen Z and Millennials more likely to travel than older generation.

About 52 per cent of consumers surveyed for YouGov’s Vacation Dreams report said they would travel next year but only about 27 per cent were considering overseas trips.

Eva Satkute Stewart, Global Sector Head for Travel and Tourism at survey specialist YouGov, said: "It’s the younger generation that wants to travel first, so it is important to think about how to market.

"They use social media differently and they are looking for low-cost carriers and cheap hotels.

"Compare that with babyboomers – what drives them is value for money, temperature, outstanding natural beauty and the fact they have been [to a destination] before and like it."

She said there were differences in attitudes to sustainable travel, with Gen Z and millennial consumers considering themselves as responsible travellers.

 

SAUDI ARABIA

WTM Virtual unveiled Saudi Arabia as its registration sponsor, as the kingdom prepares to launch an international brand campaign over the coming months.

Saudi Arabia sets out ambitious tourism plans with ‘giga’ projects. Saudi Arabia hopes to attract more travellers from around the world with a series of ‘giga projects’ that will add to its wide range of tourism offerings.

 

 

"We hope we can meet again in person for WTM London 2021 and the experience we’ve had of a virtual show means we can add extra online elements to our future events"

– Simon Press

 

During a session at WTM Virtual, Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) outlined its current attractions and major leisure developments. The kingdom will open up to overseas travellers again in early 2021 and boasts six international airports with access to three continents within a few hours’ flight time.

Matteo Prato, consultant for STA, said a host of ‘giga projects’ were being developed, including the desert tombs of Al Ula and Diriyah Gate, a multibillion-dollar cultural and heritage development. Prato said e-visas are available for 49 nationalities and the ‘abaya’ traditional dress for women is not required for overseas visitors.

Tourism is a key pillar in ‘Vision 2030’ – an ambitious strategy to diversify the economy of Saudi and develop other sectors.

 

THE FUTURE

The future for travel and tourism looks bright after the pandemic recedes but firms, tourist boards and governments must not forget the lessons of the Covid-19 crisis.

That was the message from travel bosses at WTM Virtual, during a debate entitled Travel Future: Embracing the new world of tourism.

Jonathan Keane, Managing Director and Global Industry Lead for Aviation at Accenture, said he was not sure that the industry would respond quickly if another pandemic or crisis hit travel.

"We need to work together much more, such as the airports, airlines and authorities," he told moderator Babita Sharma, BBC World News presenter.

"We are solving these problems locally.

"A global pandemic was on corporate risk registers but we did not do much about it. It may manifest itself again."

Godja Soennichsen, Communications and Media Cooperation Director at TUI Cruises, said the key was to focus on "solutions not problems".

"TUI Cruises was forced to stop sailing but we were always convinced there is way to offer holidays and we did find a solution," she said.

The cruise line collaborated with authorities and destinations on new Covid-19 health protocols and resumed sailing in July. It has since carried 40,000 guests.

Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director at WTM London, said: "We were delighted to see so many of our exhibitors conducting fruitful meetings – meeting new and established business partners and sealing deals to set the foundations for recovery.

"Our delegates were greatly buoyed during WTM Virtual when news was announced of a vaccine that can hopefully set us on a path to opening up borders and enabling international travel to recover fully.

"We hope we can meet again in person for WTM London 2021 and the experience we’ve had of a virtual show means we can add extra online elements to our future events.

"Our sister event, Arabian Travel Market 2021, will take place live in Dubai from May 16 to 19, in a new hybrid format, with ATM Virtual running during the week afterwards – May 23 to 26 2021 – to complement and reach a wider audience."

Spacer