An overwhelming 90% of respondents to our latest poll say they will not attend this year’s World Travel Market in London in the face of rising travel costs. Only 8% said they would attend as a visitor, with the remaining 2% saying they would attend as both an exhibitor and a visitor.
The results come on the back of Global Business Travel Association findings that, by the end of this year, global business travel airfares will have risen by 48.5%; hotel rates by 18.5% and car-rental costs by 7.3% since the beginning of the year.
With further increases predicted for 2023, it seems many do not see WTM as a justifiable return on investment.
What are the challenges to female empowerment?
This Women’s Month (which ends on Wednesday, August 31) numerous tourism companies highlighted their female leaders as examples of how they lead by example and what women have achieved in the industry.
Yet challenges for female entrepreneurs remain, with Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for Minor Hotels Africa, Lindi Mthethwa, saying in her op-ed piece for Tourism Update: “It’s not enough to own small bed and breakfast establishments and guest houses. We have to be out there playing in the major hospitality group landscape.”
Our poll question this week is:
