Closing of the 4th WTM Latin America: Trends, Networking and Technology
The fourth edition of WTM Latin America has once again come to a close in Sao Paulo, held together with the 45th Braztoa Trade Meeting–its associates sell roughly 90% of Brazilian outbound travel packages. Three days of intense business sessions unfolded from Tuesday March 28 till yesterday afternoon.
In the course of the fair, the traditional Trends Report pieced together by Euromonitor International, which reveals the direction of today’s tourism in the region, was presented. Trends in technology as a game changer in consumption, the trendsetting path of millennials in Latin America (See 200 million of Latin American potential travel buyers through mobile gizmos), and the mistrust that still lurks around consumers when making payments through their devices, also had tremendous acclaim.
Much of this edition was dedicated to technology through sessions and keynote presentations made by speakers from such well-known companies as Google or PhoCusWright. The lectures could lay bare both the immediacy and demand required by customers due to the growth of digital channels. The case of vacation rentals what it means to the travel industry was also presented. The new multimedia promotion channels, such as videos, trigger twice as many clicks as photographs, one of the lecturers confirmed. In short, experiences are just about everything the new customer and potential traveler is looking for to invest in the networks.
Conferences, lectures and presentations have been very useful for attendees, but it’s noteworthy to point out that an event of international scope, whose aspirations zero in on the chance to garner media hype and become a benchmark for the region, the fact that nearly all of these activities were conducted in Portuguese language, without simultaneous translation service for participants who do not know the language, is something that leaves a lot to be desired. This reveals that this event, with barely four editions under its belt, must continue to improve and have details that do make a difference.
Activities carried out within the framework of the fair have been very useful for visitors, but if we were to highlight one of those, the days devoted to networking take the cake. This time around, there were four well-defined sessions: Meet the Media and Bloggers, WTM Speed ??Networking with Hosted Buyers, Speed ??Networking with Members of the WTM Buyer’s Club, and last but not least, one on Speed ??Networking with Embratur Hosted Buyers. These seminars gave exhibitors, buyers and the media the opportunity to touch base through short 10-minute meetings in a bid to share ideas, beef up business ties and collect useful contacts.
As mentioned a few days earlier, some of this fourth edition’s highlights were no doubt Reed Travel Exhibitions, newcomers such as China, the giant outbound market, (See China stands out at WTM Latin America) South Korea, Indonesia, as well as the attendance of the United Kingdom, a country that had failed to attend any Latin America fair over the past six years.
WTM Latin America director Lauwrence Reinisch said the number of exhibitors accrues with each passing edition, while others remain as faithful as ever. He went on to say this is the result of ongoing efforts aimed at making WTM Latin America the main showcase of products and travel destinations in the continent. He admitted to be very pleased with the trust pinned on the event and confident that this fair is by far the right framework to do business and forge alliances in the sector.
