Spain: Spain comes to London

Up to 2,000 agents and operators are expected to attend the UK’s only travel trade show dedicated to Spain when it opens in London at the end of this month.

The Spanish Tourism Exchange for Professionals – STEPs for short – is in its fifth year and has signed up around 130 exhibitor representatives from all sectors of the Spanish travel industry including airlines, hotels and regional tourist boards.

The aim is to provide them with easy access to UK buyers, and to give British buyers an overview of what’s on offer in Spain.

Spanish Tourist Office UK director Ignacio Vasallo said: “These companies all attend World Travel Market but they are competing with every other destination in the world. We have a 30% share of the UK holiday market and are the leaders for packages and independent tourism. We need an exclusive fair for our products.”

Vasallo said 1,600-2,000 operators and agents are expected to attend – slightly more than last year, reflecting major changes in the holiday industry in the UK.

“Three years ago hotels sold all their allocation to operators and didn’t need to do any marketing,” he said.

“That has changed and now they have to go to the market. Also, destinations such as Santander have been opened up by the low-cost carriers and they need to promote themselves in the UK.”

A seminar programme has been organised for each day of the show. Vasallo said these are based on less familar products so British buyers will not hear things they already know. Subjects lined up include golf, meetings and incentives and on-line bookings. “That will be useful for suppliers to see what is happening in the UK market,” added Vasallo.

Discussion involving Cosmos overseas purchasing and operations director Hugh Morgan and Co-operative Travel Trading Group chief operating officer Mike Greenacre is on the first day of the show, while Gonzalo Pascual, president of Viajes Marsans – one of the largest travel agencies in Spain – is answering questions in a later session, to give British buyers an overview of what is happening in Spain.