WTM 2012 to Generate Over £450 Million for the Americas

World Travel Market 2012, the leading global event for the travel industry, will generate more than £450 million for exhibitors from the Americas, including £265 million for North American exhibitors.

WTM's Americas regions cover North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Fusion Communications' analysis of WTM 2012 reveals £456 million of business will be generated for The Americas, either through contracts signed at the event with Meridian Club buyers or from further negotiations which will conclude before WTM 2012.

North America is the most important, with £265 million of business confirmed. Central and South American exhibitors earned £79 million and £99 million respectively. The Caribbean notched up deals worth £13 million.

New exhibitors for WTM 2012 from the region included Belize Hotel Association, tour operator Latin America Travel and luxury ecolodge the Pikaia Lodge from the Galapagos.

Regular exhibitors such as Caribbean Tourism Organization, Embratur (The Brazilian National Tourist Board) and the Canadian Tourism Commission were also in attendance, while others provided speakers for seminars and presentations. The Costa Rica Tourism Board won the award for the Best Stand Design, while Brand USA was unveiled at WTM 2011 as the inbound marketing organization for America.  

The Americas were also strongly represented in the revamped WTM Speed Networking event at WTM 2011. Exhibitors took advantage of the chance to meet contacts briefly before the event opened and arrange a more detailed discussion later.

Overall WTM 2012 will generate £1,653 million of business for all exhibitors before WTM 2012 opens on 5 November. The Americas will account for more than 27 percent of the total business conducted at WTM 2012, with North America responsible for 16 percent on its own.

WTM continues to generate double-digit business growth for the global travel industry despite the gloomy economic picture of the past few years. 2011's £1.653 million-worth of deals were 16 percent ahead of 2010's £1,425 million, with the 2010 sum representing a 25 percent hike on 2009.

World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Almost 48,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.

Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world's leading provider of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry. Its wide-ranging portfolio of events around the globe covers leisure travel, luxury travel, business travel and the meetings and incentives industry.