World Travel Market London — held each November at ExCeL in London's Docklands — is the single most important travel trade show for any African tourism business serious about the UK market. With over 46,000 travel professionals passing through the doors across four days, it is where relationships are forged, contracts are renewed and shelf space in tour operator brochures is won or lost.
Having attended WTM on behalf of African partners for over a decade, I want to give you an honest picture of what the show is actually like, how to use it effectively, and why so many African properties leave without the results they hoped for.
What WTM London actually is
WTM is a business-to-business event. The public cannot attend. Every person on the floor is either a travel trade professional — a tour operator, travel agent, travel journalist or industry supplier — or a tourism business trying to reach them. This is critical to understand: you are not there to sell holidays. You are there to sell yourself to the people who sell holidays.
The Africa section of WTM is competitive. You will share floor space with national tourism boards, major hotel groups, DMCs, airlines and dozens of other lodges and camps all vying for the attention of the same buyers. The operators most active on Africa — Scott Dunn, Audley Travel, Abercrombie & Kent, Carrier, Kuoni, Trailfinders — have large, experienced buying teams who attend the show with pre-planned meeting schedules. If you are not already in their diary before the show opens, you are unlikely to get meaningful time with them on the floor.
"The properties that benefit most from WTM are those who do the work in the eleven months between shows. WTM is the harvest, not the planting."
How to prepare effectively
The most common mistake made by African lodges attending WTM is treating it as a cold prospecting exercise. It is not. The show rewards relationships, not introductions. Here is how to approach it properly:
- Pre-schedule every meeting. Use the WTM appointment system — available in the weeks before the show — to book meetings with operators you already know, or are being introduced to by your UK representative. Arriving without a diary is a very expensive way to hand out brochures.
- Brief your team thoroughly. Every person on your stand needs to be able to articulate your property's key selling points, rates, availability and conservation story within 90 seconds. Operators have dozens of meetings per day and will move on quickly.
- Follow up within 48 hours. WTM follow-up is where the real business is done. Every meaningful conversation needs a personalised email within two days of the meeting. Operators receive hundreds of post-show emails — yours needs to reference specific points from your conversation.
- Leverage your UK representative. If you work with a UK rep company, ensure they are active on the floor on your behalf throughout the show. They know who is who, which operators are growing their Africa programmes, and — crucially — who to avoid.
The ATTA stand
If you are an ATTA member, the association maintains a presence at WTM where members can be represented. This is a cost-effective option for smaller properties that cannot justify the expense of a full stand, and positions your property within a credible, recognised Africa-specialist context.
Beyond the show floor
Some of the most valuable WTM conversations happen away from the stands entirely — in the cafes, at evening events and during the WTM speed networking sessions. A good UK representative knows which evening events are worth attending and can get your property in the room with the right people.
Want Kusa Connect to represent your property at WTM London?
We attend WTM on behalf of our partner properties every year, with a full schedule of pre-booked operator meetings and media appointments.
Get in touch →Is WTM worth the investment for a small African lodge?
The honest answer is: it depends entirely on how you approach it. A standalone stand at WTM costs upward of £15,000 once you factor in stand space, design, shipping, accommodation and staff flights. For a smaller property, this is a significant commitment. The alternative — working with a UK representative who attends on your behalf — provides WTM presence, pre-booked meetings and post-show follow-up at a fraction of that cost.
What I know from experience is this: the African properties that build consistent, growing UK sales are rarely the ones that attend WTM once and disappear. They are the ones with a year-round UK presence — a representative who is in front of operators every month, building the relationships that make WTM conversations count.