Njengomnyhadala okhokelayo wehlabathi kushishino lokuhamba, iWTM London iyakwazi ukudibanisa abathengi nababoneleli abasuka kumashishini athile ohambo abalulekileyo angaziwa kakhulu eYurophu. UPeng Peng, umlawuli ophakamileyo wamatikiti omoya weTuniu.com, iarhente yesithathu enkulu yokuhamba kwi-Intanethi, kunye noYogesh Mehta, usekela mongameli weehotele ze-via.com, iqonga letekhnoloji elinika amandla malunga nama-60,000 eearhente zokuhamba ezingaxhunyiwe kwi-intanethi eIndiya, bathatha inxaxheba ixesha lokuqala.
Amaxesha onke abandakanya uRoseanne Twigg, umhlalutyi wemveliso ephezulu kwi-TripaDeal yase-Australia, onxibelelane nababoneleli ngeqela lakhe lokuhamba, ishishini lepakethe elenziwe ngomthungi. Uthe “[uthungelwano olukhawulezayo] lundivumela ukuba ndifumane umbono olungileyo wokuba ngubani okhoyo, banikezela ngantoni kunye nento abayicwangcisayo.
UMiroslav Mihajlovic, umphathi wemveliso, uMtours, eSlovenia, omnye othatha inxaxheba rhoqo, wathi:
“Ndihlala ndihamba nabafowunelwa abambalwa abalungileyo endinokuthi ndibalandele kamva” ngelixa uPrajakta Marwaha, umseki kunye nomlawuli, Uhambo lwaseIndiya, wathi “Bendidibana nabakhenkethi, ii-DMC, kunye neemyuziyam… ndilungiselele iintlanganiso ezininzi. kwaye ndiza kufumana ishishini elilungileyo”.
Business is particularly in focus on the opening day of WTM London, with many destinations taking the opportunity to update the market on 2016 and to look ahead. Elena Kountoura, tourism minister for Greece, said this year was in line to become its busiest ever year with more than 27 million international arrivals expected, including cruise.
U-Kountoura uxelele inkomfa yabezindaba ebigcwele phama ukuba iGrisi izama ukuba yindawo yokusingwa unyaka wonke, kunye nekhefu lesixeko kunye nokutyibilika kwindawo ezimbini ezinokuthi zitsale iindwendwe ngaphandle kwexesha layo lesiqhelo.
I-Indiya ikwajonge ekubekeni ngokutsha isibonelelo sayo sokhenketho. UVinod Zutshi, unobhala, uMphathiswa wezoKhenketho eIndiya, uthe urhulumente wakhe ubeka phambili ukhenketho ngokutyala imali kwiziseko zoluntu ukuze kuququzelelwe utyalo-mali oluthile lokhenketho olusuka kwicandelo labucala.
Brexit remains a common theme across the seminar program, as the UK and global travel industry awaits the actual terms of the UK withdrawal from the EU. Aviation expert John Strickland told the Forecast Forum about a possible issue arising in terms of flying rights if the UK is not part of the EU Open Skies agreement – UK airline easyJet is allowed to fly within France and Spain while Ryanair can operate in the UK with an Irish airline operators certificate as a result of the EU Open Skies agreement.
Kwaye kwiseshoni eyahlukileyo, abaphathi ababini abaphezulu beenqwelomoya - uWillie Walsh, umlawuli oyintloko we-International Airlines Group kunye nomongameli we-Emirates uTim Clark - bacebise ukuba umanyano lweenqwelo moya lunokuba yinto yakudala.
Walsh said: “I would question if [alliances] are around 10 years from now” with Clarke describing the oneworld, Star Alliance and Skyteam concepts as “anachronistic”.
Kulwandiso olucetywayo lwe-Heathrow, uWalsh uthe: "Akukho ndlela kweli hlabathi enokuthi ithethelele i-17.6 yeebhiliyoni zeedola ngendlela eza kuchithwa ngayo."
Kwenye indawo, ingxoxo ethile kwiBrexit igxile kwinkululeko yokuhamba kwabantu. U-Andrew Swaffield, i-Chief Executive, i-Monarch Airlines, uthe: "Sifuna ukucaca malunga nokuhamba ngokukhululekileyo kwabantu, kwaye sifuna ukucaca ngokukhawuleza".
UTerry Williamson, uMlawuli oyiNtloko, iJacTravel ubeke iBrexit emxholweni: "Ndineminyaka engama-30 ndikulo shishino - esi sihogo somzi mveliso womelele, nawuphi na umngeni ophoswa kuwo."
Ukomelela kolu shishino kwaphawulwa ngumbhali wezohambo uDoug Langsky. Ngokujonga uphendlo lwehotele eParis, eBrussels naseOrlando, wafumanisa ukuba kuthathe iinyanga ezimbini ukuya kwezintathu ukuba umdla ubuyele kumanqanaba angaphambili kwaye kwezinye iimeko kangangeeveki ezintathu. “Sisiya siphelelwa ngamandla ngenxa yobugrogrisi… ukubuya umva ngokukhawuleza,” utshilo.
U-Lansky ucebise ukuba iindawo ekufikelwa kuzo zidinga isicwangciso sobunzima ngaphambi kokuba kwenzeke le ngxaki, kwaye eso sicwangciso sinye esiluncedo kukwazi ukuba yeyiphi imithombo yeemarike “zezona zinobukroti” kunye nokunikela ngezixhobo zokuthengisa kwezi ndawo.
Ithayimthebhile yeBrexit nayo ayaziwa kwaye kukho ezinye izinto ezihlala ixesha elide ekufuneka ziqwalaselwe kushishino lokuhamba. I-Futurist uBrian Solis uxelele abo bebeze kwi-WTM Leaders Lunch ukuba baqaphele "isizukulwana C" - abathengi abaphila "indlela yokuphila esebenzayo, yedijithali". Olunye ucelomngeni oluvezwa leli qela kukuba aluchazwanga ngobudala: “[Isizukulwana C] sibonisa indlela yokuziphatha efanayo ehamba kumaqela ahlukeneyo eminyaka ubudala…Kufuneka uqonde indlela yokuziphatha enxibelelene ngayo nendlela ephumela ngayo kwihlabathi lokwenyani.”
Kwenye indawo, usuku lokuvulwa kweWTM London 2016 yabona iNgqungquthela yokuqala yeGlobal Sports Tourism Summit. Abaphumeleleyo baquka iGlasgow, iLondon kunye ne-USA.
I-WTM London ngumsitho apho ishishini lokuhamba nokhenketho liqhuba imicimbi yalo yeshishini. Abathengi abavela kwiklabhu yabathengi be-WTM banoxanduva lokuthenga ngokudibeneyo lwe- $ 22.6 yezigidigidi (£ 15.8bn) kwaye batyikitye isivumelwano kumcimbi oxabisa $ 3.6 yezigidigidi (£ 2.5bn).
I-eTN liqabane leendaba kwiWTM.
