WTM promises better transport links
Organisers of World Travel Market have vowed to improve transport links to the venue – the resounding complaint of TravelMole readers attending last year’s event.
Organisers say trains serving the venue will now run every two and a half minutes at peak times, instead of every three minutes, like last year. In addition to the trains, the bus shuttle service that operated last year will operate between Canning Town and ExCeL.
Around 50% of TravelMole readers who commented on last year’s event said they experienced transport problems, and WTM Event Manager Graeme Barnett conceded that “most of the complaints were about getting there.”
Mr Barnett told TravelMole after WTM 2002 that organisers hadn’t anticipated that so many people would travel through Bank. He said they were considering laying on direct trains from Bank, but has now told TravelMole that this looks “unlikely”.
Visitors to the event will now be offered a four-day WTM Visitor Travelcard to cover the event, which will cost £21, and will work on all London Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London buses in zones 1-6. The three-day (£16) and seven day (£28) cards available last year will still be on sale this year. To avoid large queues at ticket desks, WTM organisers are advising people to book travel cards online up to two weeks in advance.
Organisers say there are preferential rates on offer on its website, from airlines including British Airways, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa and Alitalia. There are also hotel offers from around 20 hotels situated less than 40 minutes from the venue. Click on the ‘travel services’ link to see the offers.
WTM is taking place at ExCel from Monday 10 to Thursday 13 November.
Read our previous stories:
06-Dec-2002 WTM: The Verdict
29-Nov-2002 WTM: What did you think?
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