WTM Sports Programmes Reviews 2012 Games Success for Tourism

(Press Release) – World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, has a comprehensive Sports Tourism programme reviewing the success of the London 2012 Olympics and assessing the benefits and constraints for host nations of major sporting events.

The Sports Tourism programme, sponsored by Eurosport, starts on the first day of WTM, Monday 5 November, at 3pm with Tourism and the Olympic Games 2012 – A Review which will look at the impact the London 2012 Games has had on London’s and the UK’s tourism industry.

Speakers include European Tour Operators Association Tom Jenkins, who has been an outspoken critic of the impact the Olympic Games has had on tourism for host cities arguing that tourists stay away in the build up, during and aftermath of the event.

UK inbound Chief Executive Mary Rance shares her thoughts on the impact of the London games in the session which takes place in Platinum Suite 4 at ExCeL – London.

The major sporting event theme continues on Wednesday 7 November with Optimising the Tourism Benefits of Major Event for Host Nations which will ask what the major right holders (such as the International Olympic Committee and FIFA) should be doing to help deliver the potential tourism benefits.

Visit Britain Chief Executive Sandie Dawe will be talking about the challenges and opportunities faced by the NTO in the year of hosting the Games

Professor Geoffrey Lipman from the Chair of DeHaan Institute’s Advisory Board will chair the event, which takes place on Wednesday 7th November at 3.30pm in Platinum Suite 3.

The final session in the Sports Tourism programme looks at adventure tourism. The Future for Activity, Adventure and Sports Tourism panel of speakers includes;

·  Xola Consulting CEO Caroline Heyniger

·  The Adventure Travel Trade Association Vice President Chris Chesak

·  Wilderness Scotland Director Paul Easto

It takes place on Tuesday 6 November at 2pm in South Gallery Rooms 25/25.

The programme, sponsored by Eurosport, is organised by Ken Robinson CBE.

Reed Travel Exhibitions Director World Travel Market Simon Press said: “The impact of major sporting events on travel and tourism has been much debated. There has been much debate in the UK about the impact the 2012 Games will have on London with stories of tourists staying away as hotels increase their prices leaving restaurants and the theatres empty.

The WTM Sports Programme will look into this further and review the impact on Tourism of the 2012 Olympics.”

For further information on the WTM Events Programme please visit – www.wtmlondon.com/events

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.

Almost 48,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL – London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.

WTM, now in its 33rd year, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.

WTM 2011 will generate £1,653 million of travel industry contracts, revealed independent research by Fusion Communications.

WTM is owned by the world’s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and International Luxury Travel Market.

In 2010, RE held more than 460 events in 36 countries bringing together more than seven million people from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading provider of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry. Its wide-ranging portfolio of events around the globe covers leisure travel, luxury travel, business travel and the meetings and incentives industry.

In 2011 RTE 13 events were the catalyst for £2,807 million worth of travel and tourism business deals.

The 13 events are; World Travel Market (WTM), Arabian Travel Market (ATM), International French Travel Market (IFTM), La Cumbre, International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), International Luxury Travel Market Asia (ILTMA), Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) (owned by Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau), Global Exhibition for Incentive, Business Travel, and Meetings (EIBTM), Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (GIBTM), Americas Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (AIBTM), China Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (CIBTM) and Business Travel Market.

April 2013 will see RTE launch World Travel Market Latin America in São Paulo.

RTE is a business unit of Reed Exhibitions. In 2011, six million participants attended RE’s 500 events in 39 countries covering 44 industry sectors from aerospace and aviation to beauty and cosmetics to sports and recreation.

Reed Exhibitions is owned by Reed Elsevier, the world’s leading provider of professional information and online workflow solutions.