Travel News Market 2021 took place last Thursday at the Stockholm Waterfront in the capital. This trade fair is a meeting place for the travel industry, and after a cancelled year, it was great to be back. Here are our personal reflections!
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A meeting place for the travel industry
The Travel News Market is a B2B (business to business) trade fair for the travel industry, usually organised every year in November. It brings together representatives of destinations, tour operators and airlines, among others, and also attracts travel journalists and travel bloggers.
Breakfast meeting with Visit Britain
We started the day with a breakfast meeting organised by Visit Britain. They told us about exciting news, especially for Harry Potter lovers - "The Harry Potter Photographic Exhibition" and the musical "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child".
"Speed dating" at the Travel News Market 2021
Then it was time for the main activity of the fair - "speed dating" with the different exhibitors. You can book appointments with selected exhibitors online in advance, and then have 15 minutes with each exhibitor.
We mainly booked meetings with destinations (countries or regions) in Europe to get inspiration and information for future trips, and to establish contacts for future cooperation.
Some reflections from the Travel News Market 2021
So, how was the Travel News Market 2021? Here are some personal reflections, entirely from our point of view:
- So nice to meet the travel industry live again! We don't think we were alone in thinking that it was great to meet the industry again - both familiar faces we hadn't seen for a long time and new acquaintances. Many people seemed happy, and there were many great meetings!
- Forward thinking and positivism! It has been a tough time for many in the industry, and for many it is still challenging with downsized companies, fewer staff and so on. Nevertheless, the feeling was positive and that most people are now looking forward with optimism.
- Motorhomes are more popular than ever! During several of the meetings, it became clear that many destinations are thinking more about motorhome travellers than ever before. Several clearly expressed that motorhome tourism has been put on the agenda in the recent period.
- Where have travel blogs gone? We met a bunch of other travel bloggers, and it was a lot of fun. But there were far fewer bloggers than before. Is it possible that many people have lost the spark a little during the pandemic, or perhaps acquired other interests?
And of course the party in the evening ...
After the last speed-dating session, there was a bit of hanging out and snacks among various exhibitors. Then it was time to move on to the evening's party, where there was a buffet and music.
In the picture below, you can see some of the travel bloggers who attended the event, and who still run their beautiful and inspiring blogs with great energy. To the left you see Christoffer and Gunilla from 4000 mil and to the right of them you will see Christian from Food and travel blog. It was a nice evening with great colleagues!
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Sandra Lifsresor.se says:
You look like you had so much fun! I had actually planned to go but snot and cough put a stop to it. My blogging has been dormant for a while now but because of a trip in a couple of weeks, I start to feel inspiration again. 🙂
13 November 2021 - 10:52
Helena says:
Understand!!! Sad that you could not come! Hope to see you soon in some other context!
13 November 2021 - 22:34
Ditte says:
Nice to have a report from the fair. Glad it was able to take place this year (I would have been here, but was suddenly ill and had to cancel).
13 November 2021 - 11:07
Helena says:
Glad the report was appreciated! Get well soon!!!
13 November 2021 - 22:35
Ann-Louise Paulsson says:
Nice to read about the fair. I was registered and had looked forward to it but then it ran together at work so I simply did not get away but had to prioritise the usual work over blog and travel. Would have been nice to meet but hope there will be another opportunity soon.
13 November 2021 - 15:11
Helena says:
Understand!!! Hope to see you soon in some other context!
13 November 2021 - 22:36
4000mil says:
Nice to see you on Thursday! 🙂
13 November 2021 - 16:35
Helena says:
Really! Thank you very much!
13 November 2021 - 22:37
BP says:
Fun with mingling at the fair - now everything is almost normal again. That the travel blogs have become fewer is quite logical. It was not possible to travel or go out for almost two years. You solved the problem brilliantly when you were able to use the motorhome. But not everyone has that opportunity. Moreover, Stockholm is a good starting point for excursions in the neighbourhood, but not everyone lives in a big city.
I think you can be really proud of yourselves for coping with the pandemic as well as you have.
13 November 2021 - 17:37
Helena says:
We were really glad during the pandemic that we had the motorhome, it made it easier! And you may have a point about Stockholm as well, the big city perhaps made it easier during the period when you could hardly move around the country and still wanted to find new destinations.
13 November 2021 - 22:41
Daniel på FlyingDryden says:
If I wasn't travelling that day, I might have stopped by.
However, I really don't agree with BP that you couldn't travel in the last 18 months or that you have to have a big city as a starting point. It has been a little more difficult and complicated in some places, but remember that it is possible to travel within Sweden. Many people miss (or deliberately overlook?) this. I myself have had lots of highlights from cycling holidays in Skåne to skiing and hiking in northern Lapland, as well as close experiences at home in Jämtland. Very far from the big cities, too. If that's not travelling, I don't know what is.
14 November 2021 - 1:34
Helena says:
Thanks for your comment Daniel! I think both BP and you were thinking about Sweden actually! And of course you can discover Sweden from different parts of the country! During that period when you were allowed to move around for a maximum of two hours, we were excited about everything there was to discover in and around Stockholm, which I was thinking about now. But of course there are excursion destinations in Jämtland too!
14 November 2021 - 6:16
Liniz Travel says:
Very nice to meet you 🙂
Hugs
14 November 2021 - 8:42