The world’s favourite travel event kicked off yesterday and it’s levelling up in a seriously big way. WTM London 2025 has taken over and extra 25,000 sqm of ExCeL London (because clearly, we all needed more room to talk about travel). Visitors and participants are enjoying more stages, more sessions, and a whole lot more inspiration from high-powered ministers to the trendsetters shaping the future of tourism.
This year’s umbrella theme opens the floor to the conversations that matter most, from how global travel policies are shifting, to how travellers themselves are evolving faster than your average TikTok trend.
The WTM Trend Fest, where business meets buzz
Forget your standard trade show format. The WTM Trend Fest made its debut this year, a cultural playground packed with immersive global experiences, live performances, and themed activations that’s giving visitors something to talk about long after the show’s closed. it’s like a “global street festival… with business cards”.
Lights, camera, WTM TV!
To match its record-breaking exhibitor growth (seriously, destinations, hotels, and travel tech companies have turned up in droves), WTM London has launched its very own TV channel, WTM TV. What are they featuring? Expert insights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes action to keep attendees educated, entertained, and a little bit starstruck.
Masterclasses now on the menu
With attendance across conference sessions up by 29% from last year, the show’s giving knowledge junkies exactly what they want, a lot more of it. This year sees the launch of exclusive, bookable masterclasses led by top-tier experts and exhibitors. So whether you’re into marketing hacks, tech trends, or the finer points of sustainable tourism, there’s a class for that.
The big topics
WTM London 2025 is doubling down on its biggest success stories. The Sustainability Summit saw a jaw-dropping 128% increase in attendance last year, while the Marketing and Technology Summits both soared by 75%. Clearly, the future of travel isn’t just about where we go, but how we do it smarter, greener, and with better Wi-Fi.
Here’s what’s already got tongues wagging yesterday:
- The WTM Trends Report in partnership with Oxford Economics, with a heavyweight panel to unpack what’s next for global travel.
- The WTM Ministers’ Summit bringing together global tourism leaders in a BBC-moderated discussion on policy, investment, and the small matter of shaping the world’s travel future.
- Sir Chris Bryant, the UK’s tourism minister, joined a C-suited panel called From Fortnum to F1 to explore London’s evolution as an event destination.
Specialist summits
- DEAI Summit, hosted by Uwern Jong of OutThere, exploring how to reclaim global inclusion in travel.
- Technology Summit with Timothy O’Neil-Dunne on The Technology Case for Empathy in Travel.
- Geo-economics Summit where Mark Frary leads a deep dive into Macro-economic Shifts in Travel.
- Marketing Summit co-hosted by Matthew Gardiner and Tina Charisma, exploring Travel Marketing Evolution.
- Sustainability Summit, where Tina O’Dwyer presents Sustainable Tourism is Dead – Long Live Sustainable Tourism.
- For those living life through a lens, there’s a dedicated media and influencer track tackling the role of AI in
And finally, because no one networks hungry, food futurist Tony Hunter is on hand to explore how Gen Alpha (yes, the tiny humans who can’t remember life before iPads) are already changing the way we think about food, travel, and tech-driven gastronomy.
