Tourism, an industry out in force in London

The 43rd World Travel Market, the biggest tourism fair in the world and the most important for the industry in the south of Spain, opens its doors this Monday, 6 November, at the ExCel centre in London.

For three days tourist destinations from around the world come together with the common aim of securing their share of the lucrative British market, although the WTM is also the event that sets the trends for the coming year for the industry.

Destinations around Andalucía and the rest of Spain will be hoping to improve on this year's figures, record-breaking in many cases. They will also be casting their nets out in the hope of reeling in a higher-spending visitor, with campaigns aimed at attracting more premium tourism.

This is the most innovative World Travel Market yet, including the first Technology Summit, in which artificial intelligence will feature heavily, as well as total immersion into virtual reality.

Andalucía comes to London with its ground-breaking Andalusian Crush campaign aimed at young people of the so-called Generation Z.

Meanwhile the aim of the Costa del Sol is to attract a visitor with a higher spending power, who takes longer holidays and is able to travel outside the peak tourism season. Establishing new air connections with cities outside Europe is one of the ways in which the industry hopes to reach out to a new profile of tourist: those from America or the Middle East seeking premium services.

Around 4,000 stands representing more than 190 countries make up the structure of this travel fair where professionals not only promote their destinations but also exchange ideas on tourism innovation and improvement.

Opening the Andalusian stand will be the president of the regional government, Juanma Moreno, whose delegation from the tourism authority will be accompanied by 150 business professionals from the region. The Costa del Sol stand will also be a hive of activity, where dozens of businesses will be able to hold meetings.

Once again this year Malaga city has its own stand at the WTM where Picasso plays a starring role in attracting tourists looking for a cultural experience.

As usual, SUR in English will be supporting the industry again this year with a special supplement, designed to showcase southern Spain as a tourist destination. Commuters in London have woken up this Monday morning to a taste of Andalucía and the Costa del Sol, when they found the SUR in English Southern Spain supplement inserted in their copy of the free newspaper City A.M.