Copyright ittn
World Travel Market London 2025 kicked off yesterday in style at the Excel conference centre in the Custom House district. And what a location for it, as just today London has been awarded the World’s Best City in the 2026 World’s Best Cities Report that scored global cities for their liveability – including access to green spaces, public transport and clean air; lovability – considering culture, nightlife and social media engagement; and prosperity – incorporating economic strength, educational attainment and air connectivity. For the first day of WTM, sustainability, tourism investments and the rise of the Chinese market were spotlighted with investment and education taking centre stage during the Ministers’ Summit, on it’s nineteenth year. While delegates from the Philippines, Kenya and Ecuador spoke about how they use fiscal incentives to attract investment, representatives from Spain, Portugal and Greece agreed that a skilled labour force is integral to the growth of tourism. The WTM report released this week also cites gigtripping, the search for authentic experiences and AI as some of the trends fuelling the booming growth of the travel sector. 40 sessions are planned for the conference with a unifying theme across all stages and sessions: Reimagining Travel in a Changing World. The umbrella theme gives speakers the chance to share their insights how travel and tourism is evolving, from new global policies to shifting traveller behaviours. In line with the continued expansion of Excel London, the WTM has grown by 25,000 m² in 2025 offering increased space, enhanced content, higher level engagement and the introduction of WTM Trend Fest, a brand-new cultural programme spotlighting immersive global experiences spanning live performances, themed activations and daily presentations with 34,000+ meeting taking place, the 2025 edition of WTM London is on track to be the largest in its history!
