Senior figures from Expedia, Skyscanner and Booking.com are among those who will share their expertise on the Future Stage, Trends Stage and Experience Hub at WTM London, part of the RX Global portfolio.
“This year’s programme reflects where the industry is heading, with data-led insight on the Trends Stage, practical thinking on the Future Stage, and creative problem-solving in the Experience Hub,” said Chris Carter-Chapman, Event Director at WTM London. “Whatever their role, attendees will leave with fresh ideas and the tools to put them into action.”
These three stages sit alongside the WTM Wanderlust Headliner Stage, which has its own stellar line-up of tourism ministers, industry CEOs and household names, as already announced.
Hear the latest travel trends on Trends Stage
WTM’s Trends Stage aims to be “the pulse of the industry”, bringing travel trends to life through data and inspiring showcases, helping businesses identify new sources of growth.
The opening keynote will feature Stephen Cheng, Expedia Group B2B Vice President with his session ‘The Business of Trends – Identifying a Fad or the Future?’, which will set the stage for debates over the three days of WTM London. The discussion will be moderated by Dan Christian, Founder of Travel Trends Podcast – the number one B2B travel podcast globally.
The climate crisis will be in the spotlight on day two, with Kirsty Webster, Head of Sustainability for Industry at Skyscanner. In a session called ‘Too Hot to Handle? Climate Risk and Future Demand’, she will examine how heatwaves, wildfires, flooding and weather volatility are changing the commercial viability of travel – and look at rising demand for cooler destinations, shoulder seasons, slower journeys and smaller carbon footprints. Joining her will be Helgi Eysteinsson, Iceland Travel CEO, and Stephen Joyce, Global Strategy Lead for Travel at Protect Group.
Juggling the many demands of consumers will be in the spotlight on day three with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Ash Bhardwaj. In his session, ‘The Contradiction Economy: What to Do When the Traveller Wants It All’, he will help delegates understand why holidaymakers may want to party and heal, seek sustainability and indulgence, expect digital ease and human connection, and crave safety and adventure, all within the same journey – and how businesses can cater to these multiple interests.
Other sessions will look at topics such as search behaviour and AI; sport, culture and music; luxury travellers; family tourism; the silver market; and consumer loyalty. Also on the agenda are wellbeing; the middle market; retailing; and high-growth outbound markets in India, China, Middle East, and Africa.
The stage will also see the return of WTM TrendFest, with cultural entertainment celebrating themes such as gastronomy, wellness, sport and adventure.
Discover the future of travel on Future Stage
WTM’s Future Stage provides a platform for travel leaders, investors and innovators – helping them to build stronger foundations for resilient and responsible growth.
Speakers include Julie Cheetham, Chief Executive of Travalyst – the global not-for-profit coalition founded by Prince Harry – and James Healey, Product Experience Vice-President at Booking.com, who also has experience from roles at Nike and Amazon.
More than a dozen sessions over three days on the Future Stage will cut through the noise about AI, data, technology and automation, with discussions about how to make the most of information and systems to build better businesses.
Day two features sessions dedicated to aviation – with a focus on route development, decarbonisation and the impact on neighbourhoods – plus cruise, looking at the links between ships, ports, destinations, transport, attractions, local businesses and communities.
There will be a spotlight on recruitment – discussing employability and career pathways, helping to tackle travel’s talent shortage in a time of increasing automation – and a debate about responsible growth and the problems of overtourism.
A highlight on day three will be the Travel Massive Investor & Entrepreneur Meet Up, aimed at company founders looking for the right backer or sounding board, and investors searching for the next idea worth betting on.
Speaking at the event will be Louise Truman, who founded Plotpackers in 2023 – which was also the year when she watched Stephen Bartlett of Dragons’ Den fame speaking at WTM London. And in summer 2026 she appeared on Dragons’ Den and received funding from Deborah Meaden and Stephen Bartlett.
Experience Hub to cover climate, accessibility and failure
Aimed at marketeers and culture creators, the Experience Hub is a collaborative space where insights and problem-solving create inclusive and commercially valuable experiences and products.
Speakers will cover topics ranging from the climate crisis to accessible travel, niche markets, halal tourism and women in travel. Also on the agenda is ‘the F word’ …that’s failure, with a keynote from Grace Miller, Founder of Experiment Media, described as “the girl who’s paid to fail” and one of the most distinctive voices on experimentation, failure, marketing and growth.
Also speaking will be Richard Thompson, Co-founder and CEO of Inclu Group, exploring how innovation is challenging assumptions about accessible travel, and Ruby Gelderbloem, City of Cape Town’s Executive Director of Economic Growth, talking about how emerging and fast-growing destinations can prepare for new phases of growth.
Another highlight will be the ‘Missing Middle of Experiences’ panel discussion about the delivery of customer experiences, featuring Janet Parton, VP Marketing, PR & Customer Experience at Celestyal – bringing more than two decades of leadership experience in the cruise and travel industry – and Claudine Pohl, CEO at Lemoneight Consulting, who helps destinations strengthen their tourism and cruise business.
The final session will help attendees turn three days of ideas into realistic action plans – and those scanned into Experience Hub sessions will receive the Monday Morning Toolkit after WTM, providing practical takeaways, resources and next steps to help turn conference learning into action.
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