AT the WTM there is a comprehensive conference and seminar programme on various subjects including technology, China and responsible tourism running across three days beginning on Tuesday November 11.
WTM Global Economic Forum. The Global Economic Forum at WTM, chaired by former BBC broadcaster and economics journalist, Peter Hobday, will provide senior travel and tourism executives with an in-depth look at the state of the global economy moving forward for 2009-2010.
The forum starts at 11 am, and includes a welcome from Peter Hobday, a keynote address by Professor Norbert Walter, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Group and head of Deutsche Bank Research, and three presentations from a panel of experts - John Walker, John Strickland, senior airline industry consultant and Jean Claude Baungarten (WTTC).
The Business Case for Responsible Tourism. Thursday 13 November will see an extension of the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day programme with a paid for conference investigating the financial profitability of practicing responsible tourism within an organisation. The conference will follow two main tracks focusing on hoteliers and tour operators.
Technology & Online Travel. The dedicated Technology and Online Travel zone has been the fastest growing sector at WTM since it was launched. This year the focus will be on recent advances in the digital world and the latest in online travel trends. These include the increased use of mobiles by the travel industry, as over 3 billion mobile users have overtaken the PC with only 1.3 billion users. In emerging markets alone there are 680 million mobile internet users across Brazil, Russia, India and China and current growth rates indicate that there will be 5 billion mobile customers around the world by 2011.
Tourism Futures. Learn how to deal with both the challenges and opportunities emerging in the tourism industry and how to harness them to best suit your business. The Tourism Futures session is organised by the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR) School of Services Management at Bournemouth University.
PR and Crisis Communications Workshops. Exhibitors and visitors can learn about the basic steps needed to master the power of effective communication with two hands-on workshops.
An Introduction to PR workshop will explore the ins and outs of basic PR practices, introducting the strategies and key principles needed to communicate effectively with the media world.