The highly-anticipated World Travel Market 2024 kicked off with a bang at ExCel London yesterday, featuring around 4,000 exhibitors including tourism boards, hoteliers, transport brands, technology services and world-class experiences. The event has also welcomed more than 80 new exhibitors, including Saudi’s Riyadh Air and Jabal Omar Co.

Organisers had previously reported a significant growth amongst the destination market, with a 9% increase in destination participation amounting to more than 135 National Tourism Organisations at this year’s event.

It has also been reported that non-destination travel brands that align themselves to new ‘Experiences’ has gone up by 71%. WTM this year has also seen a 22% growth in accommodation brands and a 16% increase in exhibitors in the technology sector

Middle East leading global tourism

A major revelation in this year’s Global Travel Report, published by WTM and Oxford Economics, has highlighted the Middle East as a standout performer in global tourism. According to the report, the region boasts doubling its international visitor numbers in five short years, with the GCC countries spearheading this growth.

The report emphasised that not only have the GCC nations become popular destinations, but they are also significant sources of travellers, with residents increasingly crossing borders within the region.

This regional travel is evident across major events, such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and Expo 2020 Dubai. Also, enhanced visa regulations, relaxed border controls, and expanding air connectivity continue to encourage this influx, resulting in the Middle East’s appeal as an international hub.

To add to the appeal, Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to invest heavily in tourism infrastructure, destination development and experiences.

The report showed unprecedented growth in global tourism, with projected overnight arrivals expected to reach 1.5 billion by the end of 2024. As the industry accelerates its growth and expansion plans after having shifted from the “revenge travel” phase, Dave Goodger, MD of EMEA Tourism Economics (an Oxford Economics company) observed, “2024 will set a new benchmark, surpassing pre-pandemic records.”

China and India to drive future growth

The report also highlighted the growing influence of China and India in shaping global tourism, including tourism in the Middle East.

While outbound travel from China remains below 2019 levels, the report highlighted that as the country’s economy stabilises and more of its population reaches middle class, outbound travel is anticipated to take off and increase by 80% by 2030. International travel from India is also expected to double over the next six years.

Interestigly, the report indicated that domestic travel has started to slow down, with projections of 3% increase in the coming years, while international travel is forecasted to grow by 12%.

Goodger also observed that travellers are preferring to take fewer trips, but instead staying longer and spending more. This shift aligns with trends in sustainable tourism, slow and high-quality travel.

Bleisure travel on the rise

The Global Travel Report 2024 also revealed that “bleisure” travel (a hybrid of business and leisure travel) is currently the strongest driver of growth within the tourism industry.

Defying initial predictions that online meetings would slow down the business travel sector, the value of in-person meetings has proven otherwise, driving significant growth in the sector, overnight stays and corporate spending.

The report forecasted a 19% surge in corporate travel this year, outpacing the anticipated 11% growth in the leisure market. While growth may moderate to about 17% in 2025, business travel is expected to enjoy a robust 50% growth by 2030.

Despite the rise of the “belisure” trend the report stated that traditional leisure travel continues to dominate global tourism, representing 69% of total arrivals and accounting for 80% of spending.

Adventure tourism driving innovation

The report shared that due to the growing middle class population, the demand for new and adventurous holiday experiences is on the uptrend. This has in turn resulted in an increse in riskier activities being sought after, for example volcano-boarding and shark-cage-diving. While the report noted that travellers are seeking new and unique experiences, 29% of them have a keen interest in adventure travel.

While soft adventures continue to dominate the market, the report reveals that hard adventures are gaining traction among wealthier travellers wo are willing to take higher risks for exclusivity and adrenaline. With almost 60% of adventure travellers keen to explore new destinations, travel to smaller countries and off-the-beaten-track locations like Armenia, Serbia, and African safari destinations are gaining popularity.

Gen Zs and Millenial travellers are also driving the “experience economy”, where memories come before material goods; and tourism providers are encouraged to continue to create and innovate new experiences to cater to this niche.

Spotlights at WTM

This year’s event also spotlights key topics in travel and tourism including sustainable tourism, technology advancements and digital transformation, emerging destinations, cultural experiences, adventure tourism and accessibly travel among other themes.

WTM’s “Green Pavillion” presents an opportunity for visitors and exhibitors to discuss regenerative travel and the different approaches to foster further responsible tourism efforts and preserve fragile ecosystems. There are also workshops to help equip attendees with tools and knowledge to reduce their environmental footprints and develop better sustainable tourism strategies.

At the Travel Tech Pavillion, visitors are encouraged to explore artificial intelligence, data analytics, and virtual experiences that are becoming more integrated into the travel industry. Attendees will also enjoy sessions and seminars led by tech visionaries exploring blockchain, biometric technology and immersive experiences providing destination previews to travellers.

There’s also a pavilion dedicated to new and emerging destinations, where visitors will discover some of the most underrated countries and regions to explore. These destinations will also share and highlight their existing sustainable practices and initiatives that continue to protect their heritage and environment.

Where youth, budget and adventure tourism is concerned, a dedicated area featuring everything from extreme sports providers to tour operators specialising in voluntourism have visitors learning about the latest trends in this niche and gaining ideas on creating experiences that resonate with youth travellers of today.

Finally, with accessible tourism gaining momentum, WTM 2024 is helping operators pioneer solutions that ensure equal access to destinations, accommodations, and attractions. Attendees will hear from a series exhibitors sharing innovative products and services catering to travellers with disabilities.

Other highlights at WTM include:

• The Luxury Travel Showcase, where high-end brands and services, including wellness retreats, private tours, and properties are showcased
• Cultural experiences, where attendees are treated to live performances, cooking demonstrations, and art exhibits. Visitors are also encouraged to immerse in the Cultural Tourism Hall “walking” through various destinations.
• Wellness tourism, where visitors can discover variety of wellness-focused brands and destinations promoting experiences focussed on mental, physical, spiritual wellness at a dedicated area.

The 2024 World Travel concludes on 7 November.