The Very Best Stands Recognized at WTM 2021

The most artistic, ingenious and striking stands at WTM London have been announced, with destinations such as the Canary Islands, Ireland and Saudi Arabia among the winners.

A panel of four expert independent judges unveiled the winners at the WTM London 2021 Best Stand Awards on Wednesday 3 November.

The judges were Paul Richer, Senior Partner at Genesys Digital Transformation; Kim Thomson, Publishing Director at Travel & Tourism News Middle East (TTN); Bill Richards, Senior Partner at Tourism Research & Marketing (TRAM); and Martin Fullard, Editorial Director at Mash Media.

A sixth category – the People's Choice – will be voted for by WTM delegates via Facebook and LinKedin.

The winner of the Best Stand Design was the Canary Islands (EU600), which was hailed for "the right mix of tech and people". Judges praised the illuminated wave design on the ceiling of the stand and LED circles on the floor, marking out meeting areas. 

Barbados Tourism Marketing (CA220) was highly commended for its "good use of colour which gave a real feel for the country", added the judging panel.

Tourism Ireland (UKI200) won the award for the Best Stand for Doing Business, as judges said it represented the destination "beautifully" while creating a "busy B2B atmosphere".

Variety Cruises (TP101) was the winner of the Best New Stand honour, thanks to a model of a boat, good use of space and a video outlining the product clearly.

The Best Stand Feature was won by the Saudi Tourism Authority (ME550 – ME450 – ME400).

Online payment specialist Ecommpay (TT300) won the Best Stand Design at Travel Forward – the travel technology exhibition that is co-located with WTM London.