BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Office of Tourism (LOT) exhibited for a 25th consecutive year during the World Travel Market (WTM) London from November 7-9, 2016. The three-day, business-to-business event is billed as the leading global travel show in the industry. During the event, LOT worked closely with our partners in the UK, Travel and Tourism Ltd., to display the best of the best in Louisiana travel to international tour operators and media. Also joining LOT to exhibit at this year’s event was a delegation which included the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, River Parishes Tourist Commission, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Whitney Plantation.

On the heels of the recent British Airways announcement to operate a non-stop flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, WTM London 2016 took on additional significance. Starting in March 2017, the British Airways service will be the first scheduled, transatlantic commercial flight to New Orleans in 35 years. Louisiana delegates used WTM London to highlight this flight to tour operators and media in preparation for the 2017 travel season.

“The UK is the second largest source of international visitors to Louisiana, and we want to make sure we take advantage of every opportunity to promote our state to this audience,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “While the number of British travelers to Louisiana has seen a steady increase, it is expected to increase even more with the addition of this direct, year-round service.”

The Louisiana delegation showcased as part of a unified Travel South USA booth with 11 other southeastern states. The delegation had the opportunity to promote their areas to more than 50,000 travel industry professionals, government ministers, and international media members from more than 175 countries and regions.

“In 2015, Louisiana and New Orleans both outpaced the nation for an increase in international visitors, representing a 37 percent increase in New Orleans and a 36 percent increase statewide,” said Assistant Secretary Kyle Edmiston. “Being able to showcase all that Louisiana has to offer to the thousands in attendance at WTM London proves to be a beneficial event for Louisiana throughout the year.”

“It is gratifying to see that our strategy of marketing our city and state to international visitors is paying off. New Orleans and Louisiana offer authentic experiences, unique cultures and world-class food and music. Today’s traveler is seeking these things and we have them in abundance. The improved access we’ve created by securing non-stop flights from Louis Armstrong International Airport to the UK and Germany, beginning this spring, will ensure that we continue the momentum we’ve built in sharing New Orleans and Louisiana with the world,” said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In 2015, WTM saw more than 1.1 million connections leading to over $3 billion in industry deals being negotiated and signed. Additionally, 2,768 of the world’s travel trade and consumer media were in attendance at WTM London 2015 making the WTM International Press Centre the largest recurring press operation in the UK.

For more information of the 2016 World Travel Market (WTM) London, please visit www.wtmlondon.com.