ABTA, ITT, PATA and CTO come together to shape WTM�s Agents� Programme

World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, has formed a heavyweight team to help shape WTM 2009�s Travel Agents� Programme.

Industry associations and organisations helping WTM, which is this year celebrating its 30th event, create the best-ever Travel Agents� Programme include; � ABTA � Institute for Travel and tourism (ITT) � Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) � Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) � Association of ATOL Companies (AAC)

The CTO, with the support of its Caribbean member countries and private sector partners attending WTM this year, is to host a large number of agents on the Thursday of WTM. The lucky agents will learn about the regions latest developments, before experiencing a traditional Caribbean lunch. Upon completion of their training session agents will receive a Certificate of Participation and goody bag.

PATA is to recreate a Voyage of Discovery, which it has hosted at previous WTMs. Agents can win a host of prizes by answering the online questions. The answers will only be available at certain WTM exhibitor stands.

UK travel agents start the voyage by signing up online at www.pataacademy.com. They find their way home by answering a series of questions from various sources, including national tourist offices.

Answers are available to respective stand holders where agents can seek advice and insight from the on-stand consultants. The �intrepid traveller� agents then complete the answer log book online and submit giving them the change to win one of the many prizes.

Furthermore, UK agents can earn Accredited Travel Professional (ATP) points for attending WTM and its conference and seminar sessions. ATP is the industry�s continued professional development programme run by ABTA in association with ITT and sector skills council People 1st. Agents earn two points for attending WTM and a further one point for every conference and seminar session they attend.

Travel agents can gain up to six additional ATP points by attending ITT�s Travel Agents� Day programme, which is made up of three sessions.

The three sessions are:

1. Maximising Earnings - Two ATP Points 2. Dealing with Customers - Two ATP Points 3. Selling During a Recession (organised in association with Training For Travel) - Two ATP Points

The Institute of Travel & Tourism and WTM have embarked on a closer working relationship which started with WTM being a headline sponsor of the 2009 ITT Conference.

The AAC is also hosting a session entitled �Is this the end of consumer protection as know it?�, which sees AAC Legal Advisor Alan Bowen and Chairman David Mortimer looking at the future of consumer protection in the travel industry.

World Travel Market Head of Marketing and Communications Micaela Juarez said: �I am delighted to be able to call on such a wealth of experience and knowledge to help WTM create the 2009 Agents� Programme.

�Since World Travel Market opened its doors to the travel and tourism industry in 1980 it has been a must-attend event for travel agents looking for the most up-to-date destination information to help them find the perfect holiday for their clients.

�With the help of industry associations such as ABTA, ITT, PATA, CTO and AAC I am confident this year�s WTM Agents� Programme will be the best yet.�

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For further information contact: Paul Nelson WTM Press & PR Manager 020 8910 7032 paul.nelson@reedexpo.co.uk

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.