WTM London 2018 is currently in full swing at the ExCel, bringing together thousands of travel professionals to debate the current trends in the travel industry and what to expect over the coming years. We caught up with some of the cruise line representatives to find out what WTM means to them and their business.

John Fair, UK sales director, CroisiEurope: “We’re meeting a lot of our key UK partners to talk current sales and also our plans for 2019/2020.

“It’s also about keeping relationships going and hopefully building some new relationships. I think World Travel Market do a really good job – most of the partners we need are here. It is the number one meeting point of the year.”

Ekaterina Limonova, Vodohod Russian River Cruises: “We have meetings with our existing partners and of course we are hoping to find new ones.

“[Sales] are going well, and it is growing after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Many people want to come to Russia and we offer them that possibility.

“We also hear from many people that it’s a destination they have never visited, and people want to come to Russia.

“It would be good if people knew more about Russia and river cruises in the region.”

Debra Taylor, One Ocean Expeditions: “We are here exhibiting on the Canada stand and we come here as it gives us an opportunity to meet up with our current sellers – mostly UK sellers.

“We can network and meet people who are looking for a Canada-based product and we get an added bonus of finding new partners.

“One Ocean has just increased its fleet, and we have done that because of the market demand.

“The indication from our markets is that the trend [of growth in expedition cruising] will continue. We have a lot of potential for sales.

“One of our USPs is that we travel in small groups. We have enough staff on board our ships to divide into small groups, so guests are going to be experiencing the destination with 10-15 other people.

“We are also educating our passengers; we have a team of experts on board. We hope we are creating ambassadors, if you like, to go back and educate others about remote destinations.”

Chris Lorenzo, UK director, Variety Cruises: “Being here, it’s mostly about connecting with trade partners.

“It’s firmly established among travel professionals on their calendars.

“For Variety Cruises, we’re probably going to be meeting more international partners than those from the UK.

“I think perhaps for some of the agents and other trade professionals, they are coming in the for seminars, but for the most part it’s similar to ITB Berlin – it’s one of those major events on the calendar and a great networking opportunity.

“WTM does well, but we do find it can be hard to find somewhere to sit and have a meeting – it is jam-packed.

“But, the programme itself is varied and there is something for everyone. There are all sorts of really good things happening. The cruise shows have maybe replaced WTM for some cruise lines.”

Christian Kaatz, head of international sales & charter, Nicko Cruises: “WTM is an important moment of the year for us. We’ve had a booth here for the last three years.

“Demand for river and ocean cruises is picking up.

“For the UK market, particularly with river cruising, people are looking for an alternative to the large ocean ships.

“We have small ships – between 80-220 beds. These ships are very intimate. We have a lot of appointments and people stopping by, looking at our brochures.”