Lady’s Guide to the World Travel Market in London

Today I want to share my guide to the World Travel Market in London with you. This annual travel trade show at the ExCeL Centre is a great event for industry people and travel enthusiasts alike.

World Travel Market in London

Whenever I get off a long-haul flight I always wish there were some way to make my favorite destinations closer. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could walk from London to Bali, or from San Francisco to New Zealand?

Thankfully, some clever people figured out a creative way to make this happen. It’s the World Travel Market in London, the premier global event for the travel industry. And it’s conveniently located right in the city every November.

I arrived at the World Travel Market (WTM) this morning to find myself in an ExCeL Centre-turned-global map packed with pavilions from every country imaginable.

From major European nations to disputed regions and war-torn countries, they were all there. And they were all within walking distance of one another. It was a world traveler’s dream come true.

My first stop was at the Malaysia pavilion. It had a booth dedicated to Langkawi, a destination that’s rapidly approaching on my travel schedule.

From Malaysia it was a short walk to Sri Lanka, another country I’m traveling to soon. Sri Lanka’s pavilion was particularly packed. After waiting a bit for the crowds to clear, I picked up some literature on the regions I plan to visit.

This included a brochure for Ceylon Tea Trails, a mountain tea estate where I’ve already booked a few nights. I can’t wait to visit.

After Sri Lanka I visited the Vietnam pavilion at the World Travel Market in London. It was smaller than the previous two pavilions and less crowded.

I came away with a big brochure, and I’m excited to find some exciting things to add to my upcoming Ho Chi Minh City travel itinerary.

From Asia I meandered through the Middle East pavilions at the World Travel Market in London. I passed the UAE, Jordan, and Syria.

Eventually I came to South America, where I headed straight for the Chile pavilion. I’m itching to visit Chile for my annual Vitamin D quest in February.

I had a great talk with explora, which has luxury resorts in Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, and Easter Island. Talking with them about their properties and their wide range of excursions got me even more excited to visit the country.

From Chile it was a short hop to the Peru pavilion at the World Travel Market in London. I was enthralled by Inca Rail’s description of their train to Machu Picchu.

Given my love of train travel and my long-time desire to visit the famous mountain-top land of the Incas, they had me sold when they described the luxury seats and train cars, the locally-sourced gourmet cuisine, and the fact that one of their six trains is the first to arrive at Machu Picchu every morning.

From Peru it was a short walk to New York City, but I was more interested in another part of my home country: California.

I was pleased to see that my state had its very own pavilion at the World Travel Market in London.

There were representatives there from San Francisco, San Diego, Sonoma, and other great cities. I couldn’t help smiling at all the adventures my homeland has to offer.

But I couldn’t stay long. There was still a lot of the world to see at the World Travel Market in London.

I crossed a rather wide hallway of an Atlantic Ocean to get back to Europe, where I wandered through the Britain pavilion, along the Ireland aisle, and over to Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland.

From there I made quick stops in France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, and passed by Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania.

Suddenly Europe receded behind a minuscule Mediterranean and I found myself at the Morocco pavilion at the World Travel Market in London. And the Tunisia one. And the Egypt one.

I walked across the Sahara and came face-to-face with Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and South Africa, the last of which had the largest pavilion in the region.

After drooling over the luxury safari lodges in Kenya and Tanzania, I stopped in Mozambique on my way out of Africa. I couldn’t help letting myself be tempted by the resorts there, as I have a potential May trip in the works.

By the time I finished circling the World Travel Market in London, I was exhausted. I wandered into the trade show’s Meridian Club lounge—where I was apparently a member—to get a coffee and rest my travel-weary legs.

Unfortunately ever other member seemed to have the same idea. Eventually I snagged a seat and sat to sip my latte.

While doing so I wished every day could bring me a little piece of so many countries. But for now I’ll have to content myself with two more days of the World Travel Market in London. Then it’s back to long-haul.

Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!

New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.

Pin it!