World Travel Market London: Industry leaders talk green tourism, preservation and 'slow holidays'

euronews (in English)

Tourism industry leaders convened in London for the World Travel Market trade event to discuss the latest trends shaping the sector.

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to the World Travel Market trade event in London. We've landed here to check out

00:13 the latest trends shaping the travel and tourism industry now and into the future.

00:26 Thousands of representatives are here to do deals, debate and discuss as the industry

00:31 continues its bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

00:37 Leisure travel is back to only 10% below 2019 levels, but we've got to remember 2019 was

00:44 a peak year. So the level of travel we're seeing this year has only been surpassed in

00:48 three years in history.

00:51 That recovery coming despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties and a summer of

00:57 high temperatures and devastating wildfires in countries like Greece.

01:04 If I could speak about tourism, I would say that the biggest challenge for the long term

01:11 period in the future is a climate crisis. And Greece has a specific plan until 2030

01:20 in order to achieve sustainability in the environment, tackle climate change consequences

01:26 and of course adapt to the new era.

01:31 Valencia in Spain attracts tourists with its beaches, natural beauty and history. Recognised

01:38 for sustainable tourism, Valencia City has been named European Green Capital 2024.

01:48 The old source of the river, it's now a big green area, a big green boulevard. We're working

01:55 so hard related to public transport. It's very important for us, for new energy technologies,

02:01 just not for one year, but for the rest of our lives.

02:07 Post pandemic, sustainability is also about keeping traveller numbers in check. Venice,

02:13 for example, plans to impose a five euro tax on day trippers next year as it attempts to

02:19 tackle over tourism.

02:23 Other destinations like Croatia are also mulling over what they should do.

02:31 We cannot use the word over tourism, maybe just in a few cities like Dubrovnik. We still

02:38 as a country didn't bring any specific measures, but now this is the right time for the local

02:46 authorities and for the decision makers to start thinking about it. It's important because

02:53 we want to preserve our country as it is today.

02:59 When it comes to traveller numbers, Thailand says its approach is quality over quantity,

03:05 cooling down the traditional hot spots and opening up other places within the country.

03:11 We are more focused in terms of the value that the tourists spend in Thailand. Second

03:17 thing is also about the dispersal of the numbers of tourists, connect to the local community,

03:24 connect to the other destination like a cluster destination. That's the way that we're moving

03:30 forward.

03:32 Traveller tastes are also evolving. For millennials and Gen Z, it's increasingly about experiences

03:38 and bucket lists, according to world travel market research. And there's a wider trend

03:45 of longer stays.

03:48 With sustainability conscience, what we see, they call it slow holidays. So it's fewer

03:53 holidays but they are much longer. And they're more focused rather than on sunbathing, more

03:58 on experience.

04:01 One country that's providing some of those experiences is Morocco. It wants to attract

04:07 26 million tourists a year by 2030, nearly double this year's number.

04:14 People are looking to have authentic experiences. They want to be in touch with nature, taste

04:22 the local cuisine and meet local communities. They're also looking for open air, experiences

04:28 in the wild, long walks and mountains.

04:35 The global travel and tourism sector is expected to fully recover over the next couple of years.

04:41 This is an industry that's also changing as it maps out 2024 and beyond.

04:48 [Music]

04:55 ♪ Oh, let's go, yeah ♪

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