World Travel Market (WTM) London 2021 ExCeL London from November 1 to 3

This week London has been hosting the World Travel Market (WTM) at ExCeL London from November 1 to 3 . Incidentally ExCeL , owned by Abu Dhabi was a centre for overflow Covid hospitalisations in London.

Abu Dhabi at WTM London
Abu Dhabi at WTM London

The theme of the event was ‘reconnect, rebuild’ and certainly there was a lot of reconnection being done, and I guess some new connections as well. All hopefully leading to rebuilding tourism – in a sustainable way to fit in with another major event in Britain the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

NHS Covid Pass Translation into Arabic
NHS Covid Pass Translation into Arabic

It was busy – with queues to get in, possibly due to the need not only to scan each arrival’s entry pass, but also their proof of COVID-19 status. I came prepared with a paper NHS Covid-Pass and as I was going to visit the stands from The Gulf – I came prepared with the Arabic Translation 😄 (great service by the NHS).

Saudi Arabia at WTM
Saudi Arabia at WTM

As usual, the stands from the Arab world were clustered together – Saudi Arabia had a vast area, split into several sections.

Saudi Arabia At WTM
Saudi Arabia At WTM

One aspect of the country they promoted was the S-S-S – which usually stands for Sun Sea and Sand – plenty of all 3 in Saudi – however, the version Saudi swapped in was Sun Sea and Snow !

Bahrain at WTM London
Bahrain at WTM London

I took some energy booting dates and moved on through Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar, which was promoting the World Cup 2022.

Qatar at WTM
Qatar at WTM

It was disappointing not to see a stand for Oman, though several companies from outside Oman had rather cleverly added Oman to their geographic footprint.

Author: Tony Walsh

Book author including the current Bradt guide to Oman