World Travel Market London 2026: How to Make the Most of WTM (Even If You're Not Attending)

Every November, thousands of travel industry professionals descend on London for World Travel Market (WTM), one of the biggest events in the global tourism calendar. This year, from 3–5 November, ExCeL London will once again be packed with destinations, hotels, tour operators, travel journalists and tourism organisations, all looking to make connections, share ideas and generate business.

For anyone working in hospitality or tourism, it's an exciting few days, but attending isn't always practical. Exhibiting can be expensive, travelling to London takes time, and for smaller, independent businesses in particular, it's not always easy to justify several days away from the day-to-day running of a hotel, retreat or tourism operation. Even if you're not exhibiting, there's still the cost of travel, accommodation and time away from the business to consider.

But here's the thing: you don't actually have to be at World Travel Market to benefit from it.

With a bit of planning and some creative thinking, there are plenty of ways to use the event to raise your profile, build relationships and create opportunities, whether you're walking the exhibition floor or sitting at your desk hundreds of miles away.

If you're going to WTM, make those three days count

There's something particularly valuable about meeting people face to face, especially in an industry built around experiences, relationships and personal recommendations. WTM provides an opportunity to meet journalists, potential partners, travel agents and tourism professionals who might otherwise be difficult to reach, but it's worth remembering that everyone else is there for much the same reason. People have packed diaries, exhibitors are competing for attention, and journalists can find themselves fielding dozens of pitches before they've even had their first coffee.

That's why I'd always recommend doing as much groundwork as possible before you arrive. Think carefully about who you'd like to meet and why. Are there particular tour operators who could introduce your property to a new market? Travel journalists whose readers would love what you offer? Tourism organisations or complementary businesses you could collaborate with? A few well-researched introductions and pre-arranged conversations are likely to be far more valuable than spending three days handing out business cards and hoping something comes of it.

It's also worth thinking about what you're actually going to say when you meet people. If you're representing a hotel, for example, telling a journalist that you have beautiful rooms, fantastic food and wonderful views probably isn't going to get you very far. There are thousands of hotels that can say exactly the same thing. What makes yours interesting? Perhaps you're noticing a significant shift in how guests are booking, you've developed an unusual experience, or you're doing something genuinely different in response to changing traveller expectations. Those are the sorts of conversations that can develop into stories, and stories are what journalists are looking for.

And while you're there, make sure you're paying attention to what's happening beyond your own meetings. Some of the most useful insights come from listening to what other businesses are talking about, which destinations are attracting attention and what challenges or opportunities seem to be dominating conversations. The travel industry changes quickly, and an event like WTM offers a valuable opportunity to understand where things might be heading.

I'd also encourage businesses to think about content while they're there. A few thoughtful LinkedIn posts, some photographs of interesting people you've met or a short video sharing your observations can help extend the value of attending beyond the exhibition itself. You don't need to document every moment, and there's only so much enthusiasm anyone can muster for another photograph of an exhibition stand, but sharing something useful or interesting can help position you as an engaged, knowledgeable voice in your sector.

Not attending? That doesn't mean missing out

This is the part I think businesses sometimes overlook. When a major industry event takes place, there's a tendency to assume that the opportunities are reserved for the people physically attending. In reality, WTM creates a concentration of media attention, industry discussion and commercial activity that businesses can tap into from almost anywhere.

For a start, it's an excellent reason to reconnect with travel journalists. Editors and writers are thinking about destinations, emerging trends, new experiences and the stories they'll be covering over the coming months. That doesn't mean sending out a generic press release announcing that your hotel exists, but it does create a useful opportunity to introduce something genuinely relevant.

Imagine, for example, that you run a small, independent safari retreat in Kenya. You might not be exhibiting at WTM, but you could still approach UK travel journalists with a compelling story about the growing appeal of smaller, more personal safari experiences, or how families are looking for holidays that offer something more meaningful than a traditional beach break. The fact that the wider industry is gathering in London gives you a timely reason to start the conversation, even though you're not there yourself.

The important distinction is that you're not trying to pretend you're part of the exhibition. You're using the interest and discussion surrounding it to make a relevant introduction. Journalists receive enough irrelevant pitches as it is, so the more carefully you can tailor your approach to their interests and the publications they write for, the better.

There's also a real opportunity to make use of the tourism organisations representing your destination. National and regional tourism boards often attend major trade events to promote their destinations, meet the media and develop relationships with international partners. If you're a hotel or tourism business that isn't attending, it's worth getting in touch with your relevant tourism representatives to find out what they're planning and whether there might be an opportunity to contribute.

You might be able to provide photography or information about a distinctive experience for a media conversation, suggest a story that supports the destination's wider tourism messaging, or simply introduce your business to someone who could become a useful contact in the future. Of course, tourism boards can't promote every individual property, but a thoughtful approach that demonstrates how your business fits into the wider destination story is much more likely to be welcomed than a request for general publicity.

Keep an eye on the conversations, not just the headlines

Another way to benefit from WTM without attending is to follow what's being discussed. Major travel events often provide an early indication of the themes and trends that will shape industry coverage over the following year, and there's plenty to learn from the conversations taking place.

Follow WTM's official channels, travel trade publications, tourism organisations and relevant journalists on LinkedIn. Look at which subjects are generating discussion, what research is being released and which ideas seem to be gaining momentum. You might notice increasing interest in multigenerational travel, a different approach to luxury, or changing expectations around sustainability and authentic experiences.

The temptation, particularly from a PR perspective, is to jump on every emerging trend and try to connect it to your business. I'd resist that. The most effective commentary comes from having something genuinely useful to say, preferably supported by your own experience or evidence. If you're seeing a change in booking patterns, for example, or noticing that guests are increasingly asking for a particular type of experience, that's potentially much more interesting than simply repeating a statistic from an industry report.

For independent hospitality businesses, this can be a particularly good way to build authority. You might not have the research budgets of an international hotel group, but you do have direct relationships with your guests and an understanding of what's happening on the ground. Those insights can be valuable to journalists looking for a human perspective on a wider travel story.

And don't overlook the commercial opportunities. WTM's exhibitor directory can be a useful starting point for identifying tour operators, specialist travel companies and other potential partners who could be a good fit for your business. You can research them, understand their audiences and identify where there might be an opportunity to work together, without needing to meet them on the exhibition floor.

I'd generally avoid bombarding people with introductory emails while they're in the middle of the show. Instead, use the time to do your research and approach them afterwards with a personalised message that explains why you think a conversation would be worthwhile.

The most important work often happens after the show

Whether you've spent three days at ExCeL or followed the event from afar, what happens afterwards is arguably more important than the event itself.

It's easy to come away from a trade show with a notebook full of ideas, a stack of business cards and a vague intention to follow up with everyone. Then normal work takes over, inboxes fill up, and those promising conversations gradually disappear into the background. I've seen this happen often enough to know that the businesses that benefit most from events are usually the ones that have a clear plan for what comes next.

If you've attended, make time to follow up with the people you met while the conversations are still fresh. A short, personal email referencing what you discussed and suggesting a sensible next step is much more effective than a generic 'lovely to meet you' message sent to everyone on your contact list.

If you haven't attended, the days immediately afterwards can still be a useful time to make contact. Journalists will be returning to their desks with new ideas, industry contacts will be reflecting on the conversations they've had, and tourism organisations may be identifying opportunities to develop over the coming months. It's worth being part of those follow-up conversations, particularly if you can offer something relevant to the stories or partnerships emerging from the event.

It's also important to be realistic about timescales. A journalist you introduce yourself to in November might not be working on a relevant feature until next spring. A conversation with a specialist tour operator might lead to a partnership several months later. A relationship with a tourism board could develop gradually through a series of smaller opportunities. None of these things necessarily delivers an immediate result, but that doesn't make them any less valuable.

Good PR is rarely about one email, one event or one piece of coverage. It's about building relationships, understanding what people are interested in and finding the right opportunities to tell your story.

You don't need to be everywhere to make an impact

For smaller hospitality and tourism businesses, there's often a feeling that you should be attending every major industry event, entering every award, joining every association and appearing wherever your competitors happen to be. But that can become an expensive and exhausting exercise, particularly when you're also trying to run a business.

There are certainly occasions when attending an event like World Travel Market makes excellent commercial sense, especially if you're looking to enter new markets or develop relationships with international travel partners. But there are also times when a more targeted approach, supported by some thoughtful PR and relationship-building, can deliver worthwhile results without the cost of being there in person.

The important thing is to be clear about what you want to achieve. If your priority is to build relationships with a handful of influential travel journalists, you may not need three days at an exhibition to do it. If you're hoping to secure new tour operator partnerships, a carefully researched programme of introductions might be a better starting point. And if you're looking to establish yourself as an expert in a particular area of hospitality or tourism, contributing to the conversations surrounding an event can be just as useful as attending.

World Travel Market is an important date in the travel calendar, but it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing opportunity. Sometimes the smartest approach is to make the most of the attention, conversations and connections it creates, wherever you happen to be.

At Feather & Fern PR, we work with hospitality, travel and tourism businesses to identify the stories, relationships and opportunities that will make a difference to their visibility. That might mean making the most of a major industry event, developing a compelling media story or building relationships with the journalists and organisations that matter to their business.

Because ultimately, being in the room is useful. Having something interesting to say, and knowing who needs to hear it, is what makes the difference.

If you'd like to explore how a more strategic approach to PR could help your hospitality or tourism business, we'd love to hear from you.