The inaugural WTM Vision Conference gives travel and tourism industry access to latest data and opinion

World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is celebrating the successful launch of its inaugural WTM Vision Conference.

Almost 150 delegates packed into 76 Portland Place, London on June 4 to be updated on the latest global travel and tourism trends and industry opinion from high calibre speakers.

World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery kick-started the conference by urging delegates to capitalise on the current global crisis by continuing to invest in their businesses. She said this would put them in the best shape to survive the downturn and prosper when there�s an upturn in financial fortunes.

Market intelligence company Euromonitor International then revealed exclusive research showing the global travel and tourism industry would experience growth in 2010 � although that growth would be some way down on its 2008 predictions.

World Travel and Tourism Council Economist Amir Girgis also revealed the organisation�s latest industry forecasts in a session monitored by Mail On Sunday Travel Editor Frank Barrett.

TUI Travel Head of Sustainable Development Jane Ashton followed stating one in three people who book with the operator contribute to its carbon reduction scheme.

The debate moved up a notch for the UK outbound market panel with The Co-operative Travel Managing Director Mike Greenacre revealing Turkey and Egypt are performing well for summer 2009.

Other panellists included Carnival Cruises Chief Commercial Officer Peter Shanks, Eurostar Sales and Marketing Director Emma Harris and hotels.com Managing Director Nigel Pocklington.

All the panellists urged tourist boards to invest in marketing their destination or risk losing out on future business when financial confidence returns.

�It is not a time to be a shrinking violet,� said Shanks. �Hats off to tourist boards, such as Australia and Barbados, which are promoting themselves. �If you promote yourself, you will get the business. I advise tourist boards to invest to get the business.�

Harris added: �All the research will tell you any brand that stops investing in a recession will take longer to recover, if at all.

Summing up the success of the WTM Vision Conference, Jeffery said: �WTM Vision Conference was a resounding success. We launched the WTM Vision Conference, in association with Kingley Management, to give senior industry leaders access to the latest figures and opinion to help them run their businesses.

�In such an uncertain financial climate it�s vital to have access to the type of exclusive data on the industry supplied by Euromonitor International and the latest opinion of the high-calibre speakers gave.

�We received very positive feedback from this year�s delegates and look forward to next year�s WTM Vision Conference being even more successful than the first one.�

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About World Travel Market World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Almost 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM. WTM, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals. WTM is owned by the world�s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and International Luxury Travel Market. RE holds more than 500 events in 38 countries throughout Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific covering 47 industry sectors including aerospace & aviation, healthcare, manufacturing and sport & recreation. In 2008 RE, part of the Reed Elsevier group, brought together more than six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.

Paul Nelson Tel: 0208 9107032 Email: paul.nelson@reedexpo.co.uk