WTM London 2026 runs from 3 to 5 November at Excel London, and this year WTM Travel Tech launches as a co-located show with a dedicated hall, its own entrance and an Innovation Highway showcase. Doors are open 9:30 to 18:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 9:30 to 17:00 on Thursday.
RX Global organises the event. In RX Global’s 2025 results, the show counted 46,500 attendees from 182 countries, 5,500 pre-qualified buyers (up 8%) and £2.2 billion in projected business deals. The 2026 content theme is “Resilience, rebound & reinvention: the next era of global travel”.
Travel technology now has a hall of its own inside the show. Here is why hotel, airline and OTA leaders should not miss it.
1. Travel tech gets its own hall and entrance
Technology is no longer a zone at the edge of the floor. The new show has a dedicated hall, a separate entrance and the Innovation Highway, which gathers newer products in one place. Demand explains the change: 52% of visitors actively look to meet travel technology companies, and the Travel Tech region grew by more than 55% in 2025. A vendor selling a booking engine, a payments tool or a revenue system meets people who arrived with that purchase in mind.
2. The meeting diary fills before the doors open
More than 40,000 meetings were scheduled ahead of the 2025 show, up 30%, alongside the 5,500 pre-qualified buyers. The venue grew by 25% and exhibitor numbers rose 5%. For an OTA head of supply or a hotel group’s distribution director, this means the diary can be built in the weeks before Tuesday 3 November instead of improvised in the aisles.
3. The Future Stage covers nine working areas
The programme is organised around Digital Transformation, Platforms & Integration, AI & Intelligent Operations, Data, Payments & Fintech, Geopolitics, Risk & Market Disruption, Distribution & Retail, and Investment & Innovation. Several are budget lines that airlines and hotel groups are settling now. Geopolitics and risk sit next to AI and payments, so operational resilience gets the same stage time as product.
4. Five named advisers shape the agenda
The Future Stage advisers are Professor Dimitrios Buhalis of Bournemouth University, Rita Varga of RaizUp, Shaon Talukder of GeoTourist, Jane Thompson of ICF and Paul Davies of Mintel. Between them they cover academia, start-up support, destination technology, consulting and market research. Past WTM tech speakers have come from Trip.com Group, easyJet, Sabre and Almosafer, an OTA, airline and distribution mix that shows who the stage attracts.
5. New exhibitors and a headline line-up
GetYourGuide, Nomad eSIM and RateStellar are among the new tech exhibitors, and Malaysia Airlines and AJet arrive as new airline exhibitors. On the WTM Wanderlust Headliner Stage, confirmed speakers include Rob Ransom, SVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Booking Holdings; Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of WTTC; Andrew Flintham, Managing Director of British Airways Holidays; Patricia Yates, CEO of VisitBritain and VisitEngland; and Sir Michael Palin. On Thursday 5 November the ITT Future You Summit runs from 10:00 to 12:30 with 300 free tickets for students, which makes the last day useful for hiring teams.
Key takeaway
Hotel, airline and OTA leaders who buy or sell technology should treat WTM Travel Tech as the year’s last large pipeline week and fill the meeting diary before arriving. Tuesday 3 November, the opening day, is the best slot for new exhibitors and fresh calendars. Talent and start-up leads should plan for Thursday 5 November and the Future You Summit.
