London : The world’s most influential travel & tourism event, has signed up more than 14pc new exhibitors, ranging from household names to specialist firms and niche brands.

They will make up around 4,000 exhibitors at ExCeL London (6-8th November) to exchange ideas, drive innovation and accelerate their businesses.

High-profile names debuting this year this year include Eurostar – the high-speed international rail service connecting the UK with mainland Europe – and ABBA Voyage, a live concert staged in London with virtual ‘Abbatars’.

Also exhibiting for the first time is the Bermuda Tourism Authority, which is heading to WTM London to highlight its culture, heritage, cuisine, wellness and sustainability offerings.

Other tourism boards making their first appearance at WTM London come from destinations as diverse as Sabah – promoting travel to northern Borneo, in Malaysia – and Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan.

Other new exhibitors from Asia are Ayana Hospitality, which offers luxury resorts and hotels in Indonesia, and Vietnam’s Thien Minh Group, showcasing its wide range of services, such as destination management, hospitality, online solutions and aviation.

Rapidly growing global online travel agency Trip.com Group will be attending to target growth within the European market, while UK-based package holiday specialist HolidayBest will promote its worldwide range of destinations and vacation styles.

Other new exhibitors will be travelling from Turkey, such as the Turkish travel agency association TURSAB, and Salkantay Trekking will be visiting from Peru, where it is a leading tour operator offering treks and adventure tours to Machu Picchu.

Delegates in the technology zone will be able to meet new tech exhibitors such as search marketing agency Vertical Leap, and payments specialist flywire – which exhibited with WTM for the first time this year at WTM Africa and is now coming to WTM London.

Jamari Douglas, VP Marketing & Communications at Bermuda Tourism Authority, Bermuda Tourism Authority said:

“We are beyond excited to be returning to WTM London 2023, bigger and better than ever before. As the market-leading international travel event, there is no better opportunity for us to showcase our special island and we look forward to sharing our latest news and offerings with the trade, alongside fresh perspectives from the organisation’s first ever female CEO, Tracy Berkeley.

“Our presence at WTM reaffirms our commitment to strengthening Bermuda’s presence in the UK market, demonstrated by our ongoing investments, such as our recent House of Bermuda event and brand new Lost Yet Found Campaign.

“The UK is our third largest market after the US and Canada and we’re extremely confident that Bermuda will take its place on the global stage as a leading tourism destination.”

Eurostar Group – formed by the merger of Eurostar and European operator Thalys last year – will be at WTM to showcase its services as well as new branding and livery.

Paul Brindley, Eurostar B2B & Indirect Sales Director, said: “We are excited to be at WTM in 2023 with our new brand for Eurostar, a vision for growth and providing high-speed rail connectivity throughout Northern Europe to 30 million passengers by 2030!

“It’s an exciting time for sustainable rail travel and, with our new distribution tools, we are looking forward to meeting existing and new partners from around the world and continuing to build strong ethical partnerships.”

-B