The WTM London and IBTM World travel fairs will be online only. The face-to-face events were cancelled due to the great uncertainty generated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The World Travel Market (WTM) London, which was to take place between November 2nd and 4th, was cancelled to give way to a fully digital edition. The virtual WTM will take place from November 9th to 11th and will have a series of individual meetings, besides conference sessions, round tables, webinars and debates that will take place in 4 digital amphitheatres.

The decision to cancel the event was unprecedented since the first edition of the fair in 1980 and was motivated by recent travel restrictions that would prevent many participants from attending the event. Uncertainty over permits to hold events in the UK also weighed on the decision that was announced even before the official deadline, October 1s.

The organisers of IBTM World, a travel fair of congresses, conventions, incentives and events in Barcelona, announced last Friday, September 18th, the cancellation of the face-to-face event. Because of the "incredibly unpredictable" travel restrictions that continue to be in place all over the world, the fair specially aimed at the MICE sector will have a totally virtual edition.

The digital alternative will take place on the dates originally scheduled for the event, between 8 and 10 December, and in addition to individual meetings between exhibitors and buyers, will have a content programme with a "variety of specific education sessions".