{"id":24114,"date":"2020-11-08T15:25:07","date_gmt":"2020-11-08T11:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/?p=24114"},"modified":"2020-11-08T15:25:07","modified_gmt":"2020-11-08T11:25:07","slug":"travel-industry-prepares-to-do-business-at-wtm-virtual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/travel-industry-prepares-to-do-business-at-wtm-virtual\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Industry Prepares To Do Business At WTM Virtual"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Travel and tourism professionals from around the world will reconnect tomorrow (<strong>Monday, 9<sup>th<\/sup> November 2020<\/strong>) for the first day of <a href=\"https:\/\/london.wtm.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WTM Virtual<\/a> (9-11 November), a three-day virtual event for the international tourism community.<\/p>\n<p>Final preparations are being made for the online event which includes the Travel Forward Virtual and International Tourism &amp; Investment Conference (ITIC).<\/p>\n<p>The conference sessions will also host top politicians, leading academics, health experts and the world\u2019s media, as the travel industry plans for recovery in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Highlights of this week\u2019s agenda include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Global tourism forecasts from Euromonitor International<\/li>\n<li>ITIC &#8211; International Tourism &amp; Investment Conference<\/li>\n<li>Responsible Tourism programme<\/li>\n<li>Aviation sessions with bosses of major low-cost carriers Ryanair and JetBlue<\/li>\n<li>UNWTO, WTTC &amp; WTM Ministers\u2019 Summit<\/li>\n<li>Ministers from Israel, UAE and Bahrain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>WTM Senior Director Simon Press said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe travel and tourism industry is facing its worst crisis in living memory, so WTM Virtual will provide a crucial platform for planning the bounce-back, reconnecting with business partners, forging new connections, and learning about the best way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Euromonitor International report, to be launched tomorrow at WTM Virtual, will explain why global tourism will take between three and five years to recover from Covid-19.<\/p>\n<p>Called \u2018Accelerating Travel Innovations after Coronavirus\u2019, the study will also reveal how the travel industry is innovating in order to survive the devastating impact of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>The International Tourism &amp; Investment Conference (ITIC) will have the mission statement of \u2018Invest, Finance &amp; Rebuild the Travel &amp; Tourism Industry\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>It will feature a ministerial panel on Monday, 9 November and a summit with industry bosses, politicians and experts on Tuesday, 10 November.<\/p>\n<p>The Responsible Tourism Programme takes place across two days, with eight conference sessions featuring authoritative speakers from the private and public sectors.<\/p>\n<p>On 10 November, the sessions will be: Resilience &amp; COVID 19; Build Back Better; Tourism and Biodiversity; and Decarbonising Aviation.<\/p>\n<p>The sessions on 11 November will be: Responsible Tourism in India; Racism in Tourism; Certification and Consumer Choice; and Can we make tourism better?<\/p>\n<p>The turbulence in aviation will be discussed on all three days of WTM Virtual, starting with a debate about trends and forecasts tomorrow, 9 November.<\/p>\n<p>Called \u2018The Long-run Evolution of Aviation Activity following the coronavirus pandemic\u2019, it will feature expertise from Virgin Atlantic, Boeing, IATA and Tourism Economics.<\/p>\n<p>WTM\u2019s aviation expert, John Strickland, will interview Michael O\u2019Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair on 10 November, and JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes on 11 November.<\/p>\n<p>The annual UNWTO, WTTC &amp; WTM Ministers\u2019 Summit on 9 November is the largest annual gathering of tourism ministers and private sector leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Under the rallying cry of \u2018To Create Safer, Greener, Smarter Travel &amp; Tourism\u2019, it will host tourism ministers and private sector bosses debating the recovery of travel and innovations to deal with Covid-19 and sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>The summit will also hear from Oliver Dowden MP, the British Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.<\/p>\n<p>It will be followed by \u2018Tourism: The Path to Peace in the Middle East\u2019, with the tourism ministers of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.<\/p>\n<p>In September, these countries signed the \u201cAbraham Accords\u201d, a historic deal that enables business opportunities and tourism prospects.<\/p>\n<p>The ministers will be discussing the new travel and tourism opportunities and the sector\u2019s role in supporting peace in the region.<\/p>\n<p>It will be the first time the tourism ministers have met since signing the agreements.<\/p>\n<p>Simon Press, WTM Senior Director, concluded:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince 1980, WTM has provided an essential forum for the industry to do business, network and learn about trends in the market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c2020 is the year where global connections need to be maintained, build those networks and understand what\u2019s happening in these extraordinary and challenging times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur delegates will be able to keep ahead of the game and lay strong foundations for recovery and innovation in 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-24115\" src=\"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/simon-press-senior-exhibition-director-wtm-london-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/simon-press-senior-exhibition-director-wtm-london-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/simon-press-senior-exhibition-director-wtm-london-768x1150.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/simon-press-senior-exhibition-director-wtm-london-684x1024.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/simon-press-senior-exhibition-director-wtm-london.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Travel and tourism professionals from around the world will reconnect tomorrow (Monday, 9th November 2020) for the first day of WTM Virtual (9-11 November), a three-day virtual event for the international tourism community. Final preparations are being made for the online event which includes the Travel Forward Virtual and International Tourism &amp; Investment Conference (ITIC). 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