For years, the venue of the World Travel Market is at the Excel Center in the outskirts of London. It is huge. Even the biggest convention centers in the Philippines will pale as compared to Excel. It is a fitting place to hold such a gathering which rakes in thousands of people from all over the globe. It is a one big tourism market place.
Attendees are mostly travel agents and tourism stakers who will likely sell any country or entity that will suit the needs of their respective country's travelers. Of course, representatives of each nation or entity are present ready to answer inquiries from the attendees.
Booths are not just the typical white-walled, box-type ones that we normally see in ordinary exhibitions. Exhibitors spend thousands of dollars just to make their booths enticing to possible market. Each group create gimmicks to get the attention of the attendees.
Performers clad in colorful costumes are a big help in getting the visitors' attention. Dance presentations, painting exhibitions, fashion shows, stage performances and the like are being done all at the same time at a specific time near the closing time of each day. Just imagine the different sounds and sights at 5:00 p.m.
The Philippines cannot be outdone. Our booth was a big as that of Indonesia which was our neighbor in WTM 2016. They had their cultural presentation while we had a fashion show of Mindanao fabrics courtesy of Filipino fashion advocate Renee Salud. For three days, we showcased Philippine culture through fashion to a glad audience.
Aside from the booths and presentations, there were also conferences and fora that tackled different tourism-related topics. This was also a way of connecting to the major players of tourism worldwide. And these activities were well-attended.
The Excel Center was a complete venue for the World Travel Market. Since it is vast, the organizers of the event had a library for reading materials related to travel and tourism. It also had a wellness lounge and a cafe for everyone to enjoy.
Aside from doing the fashion presentation of the Philippines, I enjoyed going around checking on other countries' booths, getting reading materials and asking for souvenirs that ranged from collectibles to things of everyday use.
Given another chance, I would brave the cold and wet weather of London to experience being at the World Travel Market. This event satisfied my curiosity and love for traveling. It was like traveling the world in one big event venue.
Credit goes to the owners of some of the photos.
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