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The much anticipated annual World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, generating more than £2.8 billion of business contracts between attendees, opened it's doors to the media and invited guests in London at the London ExCel with a spectacular display of song, dance and plenty of glamour on the morning of the 6th of November. It's the key event for the world's travel and tourism industry, with practically the who's who of the industry coming together to discuss important issues, close important deals and reveal new product and service offerings in a world exclusive. Below are some exclusive snippets I gathered from the action-packed three-day event.
Here is what I had to say about the importance of attending the event:
BBC News anchor Aaron Haslehurst opened the event for the media with an overview of the year for the industry. He summarised that the industry is more optimistic in 2017/8 than last year with over £3 billion in business and is set to grow. He also revealed that Italy and Greece are actually enjoying the high growth of tourism despite Brexit happening, and this trend is set to continue. Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Alex Cruz, the CEO of British Airways, gave an inspirational talk on his thoughts and strategy to make the national flag carrier a leading five-star airline while at the same time keep costs down. Despite being a tough year for the airline, Mr. Cruz is optimistic that 2018 will be a fruitful year for British Airways, and that cutting down on certain things, such as free in-flight food & beverages on European and Domestic routes is the correct thing to do because the majority of passengers would prefer that. Aviation experts predict that the introduction of paid services, such as in-flight Wi-Fi could also bring in extra income for airlines. Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Cricket legends attend the WTM 2017
One of the greats of the game of cricket, Sir Garfield Sobers, attended the event to promote Barbados as a brand ambassador: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Cricket legends Sir Vivian Richards (right) and Desmond Haynes (left), attended the event to promote Barbados as a brand ambassador: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Sir Garfield Sobers (right), Gordon Greenridge (second-right) and Wes Hall (3rd from right) at the World Travel Market 2017: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
When the world comes to London!
What an entrance from the Dominican Republic: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Promoting Karnataka in India: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
From the Punjab! Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Bolivian pride at the WTM 2017: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Cyprus is also set to see a growth in tourism this year: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
China's economic growth will see a trend in the independent traveller- whereas before it used to be that group travel was popular in the country. Chinese visitors to the UK will also increase in the coming year. A particular reason is the awareness about global tourism generated in China via digital and social media platforms such as WeChat: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Greek breakfast! Greece, along with Italy, is one of the few European countries that are going to see a growth in the number of tourists in 2018, especially from the UK and Brexit is actually good for them! Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Slovenia, one of those countries that deserves more attention than they get. With great food, wine and spectacular views, this is a country that offers a lot for the tourist and is not that expensive either. Foodies delight, Slovenia will be a major hit list in 2018 according to industry experts. Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Happiest country in the world...! Rare and exotic, Bhutan is offering something unique to the travel nomad! Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
THY Turkish Airlines had one of the biggest stands I have ever seen displayed by an airline. The award-winning airline has constantly been voted the best in Europe and offers more routes worldwide than any other airline...will they be the next Singapore Airlines? We shall see. Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
SAUDIA- Saudi Arabian Airlines unveiled new Business and First Class seats and products during the WTM 2017. They have ambitious plans to operate to over 200 routes by 2020 and maybe even plan more routes to London, a traditional destination for them, and to emerging markets such as India and China. Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
 The world awaits YOU! For anyone who is connected with the travel industry in all sorts of fields, the first four days of this week had been an incredibly busy affair because the annual “World Travel Market (WTM)” was held at the London Excel Center in the London Docklands area. This year the action packed event was particularly special, not just because it was the 30th Anniversary of this premier global event for the travel industry, but also because it was the first time the event was live on Twitter, enabling millions of people around the world to tune into the latest Press Releases’ by the second; as well as the introduction of new initiatives’ such as the WTM Get Connected and the WTM Hub. Both of the latter activities enabled industry professionals to connect by launching discussions, photos, podcasts and blogs. This was one place where million dollar deals were signed by Airline CEO’s, travel agencies and the various tourism ministries’.  Greetings from Malaysia!  Nihao!! Copyright Navjot Singh  English heritage on show: Copyright Navjot Singh The opening day itself was buzzing with activity all around- it had a true international feeling to the place. People dressed in their native costumes’ could be seen proudly posing for pictures in all corners of the giant exhibition hall- it felt as if one has almost stepped into a world carnival or something similar. All around the exhibition hall one could hear various accents and languages being spoken; and for those who wanted to, could spend the whole 4 days' trying to please their gastronomical interests by trying the various sample dishes on offer. The event’s slogan “Around the world in 4 days” seemed to fit appropriately too.  Korean discussion: Copyright Navjot Singh  Copyright Navjot Singh In amongst the hustle and bustle, one could notice that apart from the extravagant displays and the costumes’, everyone had brought their own cultural habits along to the event too. This “fusion of cultures” created a few misunderstandings and confusions alike. For example it did not take long for one to observe that some people were not used to saying “Thank You” or “Please”; or that some people were not aware that its rude to shout loudly across a hall or answering their phone loudly in the middle of a packed conference (especially when the Mayor of London is speaking too) - but of course the fun of it all was that at least we all got to experience a taste of another person’s culture.  Smiles from northern Europe!: Copyright Navjot Singh  The first day, which is always reserved exclusively for the Media and Captains of Industry, consisted of Press Conferences, interviews and launches. The opening speeches were presented by Fiona Jeffrey, the Chairwoman of the World Travel Market; and Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. The enthusiastic mayor’s speech was, as always, interesting and full of good news- as one would expect from someone who is the major representative of a metropolis that is going to be host to the world when the Olympic Games arrive in the summer of 2012. I have been informed that the Paris and Berlin Travel markets are generally larger, however, with the 2012 Olympics just around the corner, London's annual WTM is sure to gain more attention in the coming few years. I cannot wait to go next year!  Malaysian heritage: Copyright Navjot Singh  Islamalikum from Saudi Arabia: Copyright Navjot Singh  Konichiwa from Japan!: Copyright Navjot Singh  Copyright Navjot Singh |
Get in Touch:LIFE MATTERSHere I share my thoughts
and experiences during my travels, and how some things have affected my life as an expat and world traveller. Travelling is about capturing that moment in life. Every word, view and opinion on this page is that of Navjot Singh - except where indicated. The most recent is at the top. Scroll down to read the archive. Or search using CTRL+F (COMMAND + F) and enter a keyword to search the page. Just some of the stories you never heard before. The NAVJOT-SINGH.COM web blog is separate to this web site....Click blog, which may not be visible in some countries due to local firewall restrictions, so in those cases this weblog may be read. The weblog also includes some of my press trip reports- most of which are not published on the official blog because of copyright issues. The weblog also contains articles that may be associated directly with a PR trip for a country, airline or a hotel. These are PR reviews done in relations with various companies. If you are an investor or a trend watcher then you may find this website useful as investing has a lot to do with personal observations and finding the ideal trend or next big thing. The average human on the street frequently knows far more about the state of the economy than politicians, university professors, subject matter experts, and financial analysts who seldom travel, or if they do so, only from one hotel to another hotel! The pulse and vibrancy of an economy is nowhere more visible than on a country's streets. 
All photos and words are © Navjot Singh unless stated. Photos taken by others or by agencies are appropriately copyrighted under the respective name. No photo or word/s may be taken without the prior written permission by the author (i.e. Navjot Singh). All Rights Reserved. 
Navjot being interviewed by Cecila Lu at GDTV.
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