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WTM: Three days IS enough
Travel agents are in favour of World Travel Market being shortened by one day to make it a three-day event.
Last year many agents complained to event organiser Reed when they turned up on the fourth day to find many stands were empty as so many suppliers had already packed up and gone home.
And our recent Mole pole shows that 70% of our readers believe it would be better if the show was only three days long.
Tourist offices worldwide have already started a move to persuade the organisers to shorten the annual trade show, which is the second largest in the world, after ITB in Berlin.
ANTOR, which represents international tourist boards, said its member could not justify the cost of attending on the fourth and final day.
However, Reed has threatened to make exhibitors who didn’t man their stands on the fourth day pay more when registering this year to try to encourage them to stay until the end of the exhibition.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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