Priscilla Presley, Noel Irwin-Hentschel … and Other Buzz: Last week, we presented the first 10 of 20 takeaways from the World Travel Market in London. Part two follows.
- Digital marketing agencies banded together to rent a wooden boat that transported DMO executives and held them captive for presentations. Expedia Media Solutions, Adara, Sojern and MMGY Global were among the sponsors of the boat, which was anchored just downstairs from the North American pavilion at Excel Center.
- From presentations during WTM, it became clear that the key countries and regions for growth marketing for 2016 will be China, India, the Middle East, Colombia and Africa.
- Florida received strong interest—its main competition for travelers are the beach destinations of Spain—and one of the reasons is that, as of March 1, 2016, the widely unpopular Air Passenger Duty (APD) will be eliminated for anyone under 16 on economy class flights out of the UK, making Florida much more affordable for families.
- Several Japanese operators we met who traditionally focused on outbound to the UK and other European destinations at WTM were instead promoting their Japan inbound programs to take advantage of renewed interest from Baby Boomers who had already traveled to Europe and are now focusing on Asia.
- AmericanTours International (ATI) is focusing its growth on leveraging its relationships with Chinese operators to expand FIT offerings. Noel Irwin Hentschel, ATI’s chairman and CEO, has been developing inbound tours to the Cuban market for her company’s AAA partnership. Meanwhile, ATI’s Air Tours program, which has received strong reviews and is being sold even to some of its competitors, will be expanding the number of departures for next year.
- IPW may have fewer exhibitors in New Orleans this June, compared to the previous three shows in Las Vegas (2013), Chicago (2014) and Orlando (2015), which have much more direct lift capacity for international than does New Orleans (i.e. from Canada, Panama, Cancun, Mexico and seasonal flights from the Dominican Republic) as well as hotels and attractions that are interested in the International markets.
- Under the Brand USA banner the USA pavilion design, while not as cohesive as the exhibit areas of other countries, truly reflected the diverse nature of the American product. The block-party concept, which was held at the end of day two at the pavilion, is now a popular and predictable feature that delegates will look forward to.
- Tourico, the tour and travel industry’s original disruptor, announced that it would be expanding its recruiting to Europe for the Tourico Travel Academy, which has trained some 200 graduates since it began in January 2014.
- The Memphis CVB was among the sponsors of an Elvis exhibit at the famed 02 Centre, and they co-hosted a function at the current exhibit that featured a speech by a glamorous, 70-year-old Priscilla Presley that attracted over 200 operators, even though the popular rock band, U2, was playing in the same venue that evening.
- Is the women’s restroom line a reliable indicator of WTM attendance? If so, many female attendees at WTM report overall attendance in North American pavilion was certainly down this year, regardless of what the data furnished by Reed Exhibitions say. Restroom lines that were usually backed up 10-20 minutes in years past were, to the pleasant surprise of women delegates, non-existent for first time in memory. They also cited the fact that once sought-after valuable floor space usually sold to exhibitors was used this year for unsponsored lounges and seating areas.
