One of the compelling qualities about World Travel Market is that it’s fun to visit. When you put the business aspects aside, keep spaces in the diary free from meetings and step away from the agenda, exploring it is like being a wide-eyed child let loose in the travel version of Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
The World Travel Market is a huge shrine to the best of the world’s destinations with wonders and surprises around every corner.
Some places don’t need fancy stands and gimmicks; sometimes a few, well chosen photos are enough to have us staring dreamily towards exotic horizons. The banners above Tanzania worked that magic for me.
Mexico’s vibrant colour scheme screamed ¡ay caramba! and came across as mixing fun with the contemporary.
Some of the images on India’s stand held a sobering quality that stopped you in your tracks. I was transfixed by the intensity of this woman’s gaze.
The Middle East displays exuded style and opulence… but for me lacked the allure of other destinations.
The spot where all the smokers at the World Travel Market congregated for a nicotine hit.
The contrast of scenes could be quite bizarre – business suits in an ultra modern building in the same scene as huge bunches of flowers and a woman carrying fruit on her head.
What a Falkland’s penguin was doing in The Gambia who knows but he seemed to be enjoying the warmth.
After a few hours nobody even batted an eye at dwarf elephants under trees. But then, an elephant in the room at Social Travel Market presentations wasn’t uncommon.
Andalusia had a stand made completely from cardboard. I’m not sure I got the significance of that but I liked the images.
I wasn’t too sure what this guy was doing in his fish bowl but he seemed a happy chappy and he did know the way to some quite incredible tasting Colombian coffee.
Jack is co-owner, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites plus lots of other things. Follow Jack on Google+
You saw these guys, yes? http://youtu.be/PjpyfjuNswY
Not in the flesh so to speak. Brilliant… and I’ve learnt some nifty dance moves.
The biggest regret of WTM was missing them; South Korea just wasn’t on the agenda. We’d planned to head east on our last afternoon but time just slipped away and we had to head north to York instead 🙂