The body representing overseas tourist offices in the UK is calling for the fourth day of World Travel Market to be dropped.
More than half of those (60%) in a poll for the Association of National Tourist Offices and Representatives (Antor) said they did not meet the contacts they had hoped to see on the Thursday of this year’s exhibition in London.
Of these respondents, 80% added that the exhibition would be more successful run as a three-day event.
Exhibitors tried to ensure a high presence of exhibiting partners, yet survey results reported an average of one-third of total exhibiting partners attended on the final day, with some respondents reporting less than one-fifth.
Forty nine members of Antor exhibited at WTM but three quarters only attended on the Thursday because it is a four-day show as opposed to 11% who attended for the events and seminars on offer.
Ninety per cent of respondents were exhibitors at the show and more than 75% classified themselves as manager level or above.
They all attended on the Monday, 98% on the Tuesday, 98% on the Wednesday and 88% on the Thursday.
Antor conducted the study in conjunction with Pata, the Latin America Travel Association, African Travel & Tourism Association and Skal to gain a better understanding of how to maximise on the four-day WTM.
Antor worked in conjunction with organiser Reed Exhibitions this year to promote a new event for the final day of WTM in anticipation of drawing more people to the exhibition.
However, the voluntary comments on the survey, resulting in a follow-up poll of members, suggest the four-day exhibition would be more suited to three days.
This would be in line with international trends for travel trade shows including WTM Africa and WTM Latin America. Pata, Lata and Atta, who also polled their members, expressed an equally strong preference for a three-day WTM London in the future.
The first two and a half days of this year’s show resulted in a 7% unaudited increase in visitors, including buyers, a total 82,213 visits compared to 78,035 by 1pm on the third day of the 2013 event.
Atta chief executive Nigel Vere Nicoll said: “The first three days were well attended but the anticipated improvement in attendance on Thursday did not materialise.
“Africa was dead, with no sign of buyers and sparsely manned stands; indeed the pictures circulated across the web tell the tale.
“Many of our exhibiting members, across differing stands in the Africa section, commented that the cost and waste of this fourth day, giving no return whatsoever, is substantial and in no way sustainable.
“Indaba, Africa’s leading tourism event held in Durban, reduced to three days last year, a move that the industry welcomed.
“Our members urge the organisers of WTM to do the same or face an erosion of exhibitors to other more cost effective options”.
Pata UK chairman Chris Lee echoed those views and said: “No doubt from our region it was extremely quiet with the exception of a couple of stands whose food, drink and entertainment offerings attracted the student audience.
“Only three of Thailand’s 80 co-exhibitors attended on Thursday with just a handful of appointments between them – with this in mind, many of our members will not be able to justify keeping the stand open if they continue with a fourth day next year.”
Skal London president Paul Hoskins said: “The numbers were very low in our section of Europe – Thursday was hardly worth the effort.”
Antor chairman Tracey Pggio said: “Antor members would happily support a four day show if the number of visitors on the fourth day was consistent with those on the second day.
“However, as already discussed with Reed Exhibitions, who have put an enormous amount of time and effort into increasing visitors on the fourth day, it is preferable for time poor tourist boards to reduce the show into an action packed three-day event.
“Antor members understand that reducing the show by a day will not necessarily bring a reduction in the cost of the space.”
European Tour Operators Association CEO Tom Jenkins suggested using the Thursday for ministers and VIPs to help with stronger networking.