Fog, transport probems, heavy traffic ….it must be WTM
A combination of fog-bound airports, transport strikes and heavy traffic equalled a frustrating start to World Travel Market for several high profile delegates.
Egypt’s tourism minister Hisham Zaazou was among those whose flights to London were delayed by fog on Monday, leading to his late arrival at the Excel exhibition centre in the Docklands.
His spokesperson said that as a consequence he’d been forced to cram three days of meetings into two.
A high-profile delegation from Tunisia was unable to reach WTM for some planned meetings due to heavy traffic, which might have been prompted by fears that the Docklands Light Railways would be running a reduced service after staff walked out for 48 hours on Tuesday.
"It’s been really very stressful," said a spokeswoman for Tunisia tourism. "We had meetings at WTM and outside WTM but we couldn’t get to WTM on time, so we had to cancel so many."
It’s not the first time national tourism ministers and other delegates have struggled to each Excel. In 2008, exhibitors were caught up in heavy traffic and those taking the DLR had to walk from Canning Town due to a signal failure.
Delegates attending WTM this year had been warned that a 48-hour walkout by DLR staff would mean no service beyond Canning Town, but TravelMole understands trains have been running as far as the Excel centre during peak times.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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