Fact-checked: 7 September 2026. Verify registration, programme, venue travel and UK entry information shortly before acting.
World Travel Market London is scheduled at ExCeL London from Tuesday 3 November to Thursday 5 November 2026. The organiser currently lists 09:30–18:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 09:30–17:00 on Thursday.
WTM is a trade event, so the best preparation begins with the part of the travel industry you work in or want to enter. A tour operator seeking suppliers, a destination representative, a travel-technology company and a student researching the sector should not use the same diary.
Confirm that the visitor route fits you
Read the organiser’s current visitor criteria and registration terms before arranging the journey. Keep registration messages and proof of your professional connection to travel or tourism where relevant. If an application requires review, do not assume that completing a form means access has been approved.
Use the same identity details as your passport. Be wary of third parties selling badges or invitations, particularly when payment goes to an unrelated personal account. A legitimate registration still does not decide whether you may enter the United Kingdom.
Decide what should change because you attended
Choose two or three outcomes. You might need a shortlist of destination partners, meetings with hotel groups, a demonstration of reservation technology, competitor intelligence or a better understanding of a market. Write the desired decision beside each outcome.
This makes the programme easier to filter. A popular session may be interesting without being the best use of the only hour when a relevant supplier is available. Leave unstructured time for discoveries, but do not let the entire visit become unstructured.
Build the diary around geography
Once the floor plan and exhibitor information are available, group meetings by region or exhibition area. ExCeL is extensive, and changing halls repeatedly can consume the gaps between appointments. Add time for entry checks, walking and conversations that run over.
Confirm London transport conditions near the event. Choose accommodation by the complete journey to ExCeL and by your other business commitments—not merely by a central-London label. An inexpensive room can be costly when every day begins with a difficult transfer.
Prepare useful questions for suppliers and destinations
Ask questions that reveal operations, not only marketing: contracting period, capacity, seasonality, cancellation terms, payment schedule, group policies, accessibility, sustainability evidence and support when a trip is disrupted. The details should match your business model and customers.
When discussing a partnership, explain your present reach accurately. Do not claim sales, audiences or market access you cannot evidence. It is better to define a realistic trial and its success conditions than to agree enthusiastically to a vague collaboration.
Understand the UK visitor boundary
The UK Standard Visitor route allows certain business activities, including attending meetings, conferences, seminars and trade fairs, subject to its rules. It does not turn every work activity into permitted business visiting. Use GOV.UK to check the planned activity and whether you need a visa for your nationality.
Where an application is required, connect event registration, employer or business evidence, funding, accommodation and return plans. Do not purchase avoidable non-refundable travel before a decision simply to make the file look stronger.
Budget for London as it will be used
Add event access, visa costs where relevant, flights or rail, accommodation, airport transfers, daily transport, meals, data, insurance and a reserve. Include any evening meetings that change transport or meal spending. Check the hotel’s taxes, deposit and cancellation conditions.
If a company is paying, agree the booking class and reimbursement rules in advance. Keep an accessible payment backup and protect receipts and personal data. A realistic budget also helps you decide how many days at the event are commercially justified.
Manage contact information respectfully
Ask before adding someone to a marketing list. A badge scan is not permission for every later campaign. Record why the contact matters and what was promised, then store that information under your organisation’s privacy practices.
Be cautious with QR codes, document requests and last-minute payment messages. Confirm commercial details through a known company domain. WTM creates many legitimate introductions, but the event setting does not remove normal due diligence.
Review the visit while the details are fresh
At the end of each day, separate immediate follow-ups from contacts that need research. Correct names and context before memory blends several conversations together. Send requested information promptly, but verify companies and terms before sharing confidential material.
After the event, compare outcomes with cost and time. Note which meetings produced a defined next step, what market information changed a decision and what should be done differently at another fair. The useful measure is not the number of business cards collected.
Official sources
- WTM London — official visit page and 2026 times
- WTM London help
- ExCeL London — getting to the venue
- GOV.UK — permitted business activities
- GOV.UK — check whether you need a visa
