The Ministers of Tourism for Angola, Belize, Portugal, Guatemala, Jamaica, Uruguay and Montenegro are among the latest speakers to be announced for WTM London’s Wanderlust Headliner stage.
Sustainability is a key theme across several of the ministerial sessions, with leaders sharing how their countries are making tourism work better for people and places. Among the highlights, Pedro Machado, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Tourism, will share how the country’s new Tourism Strategy 2035 puts inclusive, resilient growth at its heart.
Continuing the theme, TV presenters Kate Humble, best known for BBC wildlife programmes including Springwatch, and Julia Bradbury, who has fronted Countryfile, will explore the role of travel in protecting wild places on Wednesday 4 November. The same day, TV presenter and disability advocate Sophie Morgan will chair a panel asking who really decides what counts as accessible travel.
Resilience is another strong thread running through the programme. On Thursday 5 November, Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, will join tourism leaders from Uganda, Armenia, Cambodia and Valencia to discuss how destinations prepare for, and recover from, crisis in Built to Last: Destination Resilience in an Uncertain World.
On the business side, senior figures from Virgin Group and its travel brands Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels Collection and Virgin Voyages will share their expertise in Redefining the Customer Experience in Travel on Thursday 5 November.
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Matt Long, EMEA Managing Director for Delta Air Lines, and Garry Wilson, CEO of easyJet holidays, will discuss innovations in aviation and package holidays respectively, while Benoît Racle, Global Brand President of Premium Brands at Accor, will look at the guest experience in hospitality. Intrepid CEO James Thornton and WeRoad co-founder Fabio Bin will also explore how the next generation of travellers is seeking deeper connections with local communities.
Hosted and curated by WTM’s official consumer media partner Wanderlust Magazine, the UK’s leading travel magazine, and chaired by Wanderlust’s Editor in Chief George Kipouros, the stage brings a fresh, outward-facing perspective to the programme. The newly confirmed speakers join an already impressive line-up, including:
· Andrew Flintham, Managing Director, British Airways Holidays
· Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
· Sir Michael Palin, Actor, Writer, Traveller
· Patricia Yates, CEO, VisitBritain/VisitEngland
· Rob Ransom, SVP and Chief Strategy Officer, Booking Holdings
· James Thornton, CEO, Intrepid Travel
· Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA Ltd
WTM Global Travel Report 2026
On day one of the show (Tuesday 3 November), the WTM Wanderlust Headliner Stage will host the unveiling of the WTM Global Travel Report, this session will rerun on Day 3 (Thursday 5 November). Produced in partnership with Tourism Economics (an Oxford Economics company), the report is a key part of WTM London, tracking changing traveller behaviour and highlighting important new trends for the year ahead.
The presentation of key findings will be followed by a panel discussion with travel industry CEOs and leaders, which will also be streamed on WTM TV and on the Trends Stage within WTM TrendFest.
The latest agenda for the WTM Wanderlust Headliner Stage can be found here.
Chris Carter-Chapman, WTM London Event Director, commented: “Sessions on our four stages this year are built around the theme ‘Resilience, Rebound & Reinvention: The next era of global travel.’
“As the world’s most influential travel show, we are proud to be able to bring together global leaders, industry experts and new voices to tackle the biggest opportunities and challenges shaping travel today.
“This can only happen with the help of accomplished partners such as Wanderlust Magazine, who bring excellent partnerships and a fresh perspective.
“We are delighted to build on our longstanding relationship with the Wanderlust team and look forward to what is set to be a truly invigorating programme on their new stage.”
George Kipouros, Editor in Chief of Wanderlust Magazine, added: “Travel has seldom been tested as it is today, and the destinations that thrive will be those willing to talk candidly about how they protect their people and places. That is the conversation we wanted for the WTM Wanderlust Headliner Stage. Tourism ministers will sit alongside the business leaders who shape how the world travels, and every session has been curated around the questions experienced travellers care about most.
“Wanderlust has championed meaningful travel since 1993, and it is a privilege to bring that spirit to the world’s most influential travel show. We are grateful to WTM London for their partnership and look forward to welcoming everyone to the stage in November.”
