TV stars share travel marketing tips at WTM London
British TV stars Bettany Hughes and Maisie Adam took to the stage at WTM London to share their tips about marketing travel and holidays.
Comedian and star of Taskmaster and A League of Their Own, Maisie Adam, spoke on the marketing summit panel ‘Comedy Sells’ whereby she told delegates: “It’s about making the ordinary, extraordinary”, as she recalled interviews with passengers about etiquette on planes. Having worked with several tourism boards, Adam went on to explain “There is a human element to travel…we have to grab consumers with more than just where it is.
“You don’t have to show off Machu Picchu; you could be at an airport talking about the mundane”. The comedian showed clips from her recent Swiss tourism film, which featured activities such as sliding down a bobsleigh run and trying a fondue.
Adam said: “It’s about telling a story well and enjoying yourself.
“Other people see you’re having a great laugh, so they want to come and find out more”. She closed by telling the audience: “Humour is a special language…and a great tool for connection.”
On the panel, was also West Midlands Growth Company, including a screening of the brand’s recent marketing video featuring Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, a tour guide called William, who dresses as William Shakespeare, a taxi driver, a chef and a ballet dancer. “A West Midlands Welcome” was produced by BBC Storyworks, the commercial content studio of BBC Studios, showcasing the region’s varied culture, sights and food to the US and Canadian markets.
Martin Clarke, Senior Tourism Marketing Manager at West Midlands Growth Company, said the humorous story-telling approach “hit the nail on the head”. The region welcomed a record number of visitors over the past year, with overseas travellers up 2% year on year, including a “big chunk” from North America.
Naomi Taylor, BBC Storyworks Managing Editor, explained how extensive research went into finding real people who were “passionate advocates” for their region. Ursula Horne, Head of Insights at BBC Studios, said they used the “science of engagement” to study how viewers of the videos responded to the content and found it humorous, surprising and thought-provoking.
Later, a marketing session featuring historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes, in conversation with Wanderlust Editor-in-Chief, George Kipouros, heard how culture, history and heritage can encourage a deeper understanding of destinations, with her TV shows attracting 450 million viewers around the world last year. Hughes shared clips of some of her history documentaries, featuring the temple at Ephesus, the Magura Cave complex and a rose festival in Bulgaria, and Nabataean sites from Saudi Arabia to Jordan.
Clips from some shows have gone viral, she said, as people were fascinated by artefacts such as a 2,000-year-old Bulgarian perfume bottle and colourful paint pots from Pompeii. Musing on her Seven Wonders of the Ancient World series, she said: “Wonder proves what we can do if we collaborate. If we wonder, we engage; if we engage, we care; if we care, we understand; and if we understand, we love.
“Travelling with wonder is literally an act of love. Wonder makes us feel good and you guys should be selling it.”
Another marketing session explored 12 factors which motivate travellers, ranging from curiosity and happiness to mentorship, serendipity and empathy. Journalist Ash Bhardwaj used examples from his own travels – ranging from a school rugby trip to New Zealand to walking in Uganda and raving in Ibiza – to show how storytelling can inspire travel.
He warned there is now so much AI-generated content online that using it can lead to “rubbish”, adding: “Real news stories generated by journalists and storytellers will still matter. AI will not find what is new and interesting.”
Elsewhere, another marketing session looked at how Generation Alpha – those born between 2010 and 2024 – are already redefining travel. Food futurist Tony Hunter said this generation is “deeply attached” to technology, and by the age of nine, they have access to at least four devices.
They are also the gateway to the wallets of their millennial parents, he said.
Hunter outlined technological advances in generative AT, biowearables and quantum computing that will accelerate change in food tech and the shift to greater personalisation, adding: “These technologies are science fact and their impact will be felt.
“Catering to Gen A now ensures the relevance of the travel industry for decades to come.”
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises of leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are Arabian Travel Market, WTM London, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel and tourism event for the international leisure l travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2024 welcomed over 47,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,600 exhibitors and representatives from over 161 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai
Next event: 28 Apr to 1 May 2025, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place from 28 April, within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2024. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Influencers’ events, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, as well as a series of country forums.
Arabian Travel Week is a 10-day long festival of travel and tourism events that take place in Dubai. All eyes are on the city, as Dubai invites the international travel industry to come together each year and take part in the events so that we can shape the future of travel together. The travel events that are part of Arabian Travel Week include ATM Start Up Competition, ATM Travel Tech, GBTA Business Travel Forums and Buyer Networking.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
WTM Latin America is held annually in São Paulo and attracts more than 29,000 tourism professionals and almost 800 exhibiting companies during the three-day event. The event offers a qualified content combined with networking and business opportunities. In its latest edition, in 2024, WTM Latin America kept its focus on effective business generation and was able to schedule in advance six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors.
WTM Latin America contents are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Next event: 14 to 16 April 2025 – Expo Centre Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. The event welcomes 6,000 travel industry professionals to Africa’s leading and only business to business (B2B) exhibition for both the inbound and outbound African travel and tourism markets.
Next event: 9 to 11 April 2025 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/