Stephanie Peacock, the United Kingdom’s newly appointed tourism minister, will make her first major public appearance at World Travel Market (WTM) London 2025, the country’s largest and most influential travel and tourism event. The gathering will take place at ExCeL London from 4–6 November, with Peacock participating in multiple ministerial and industry sessions on the opening day.
Peacock will join senior officials and tourism leaders at the event’s official opening ceremony on Tuesday, 4 November, alongside Patricia Yates, CEO of VisitBritain, which serves as the Premier Partner for WTM London 2025. She will also address the UN Ministers Summit, hosted by WTM in collaboration with UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), marking its 19th edition as the world’s largest gathering of tourism ministers, aides, and advisors.
Government Representation Strengthens at WTM London
In addition to her summit participation, Peacock will lead a closed roundtable with EU ministers to discuss sustainable tourism and later join a C-suite panel titled “Soft Power Advantage: Leveraging the UK’s Global Influence”, open to all visitors at the Yellow Theatre. She is also expected to attend the evening Ministerial Reception at London’s Churchill War Rooms, following the summit’s conclusion.
Chris Carter-Chapman, Event Director, WTM London, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the new tourism minister, and we are proud that she has earmarked time in her schedule to visit WTM London. We look forward to discussing the importance of inbound, outbound and domestic tourism, introducing her to some of the major players and highlighting the major role that WTM plays in supporting the UK tourism sector.”
Tourism’s Economic Value and Continuing Government Support
Peacock assumed responsibility for the tourism portfolio in September as part of her expanded role within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which oversees culture, arts, media, sport, and civil society. Tourism in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remains a devolved matter, while the DCMS funds VisitBritain as a non-departmental body charged with promoting tourism across all UK regions.
Her predecessor, Sir Chris Bryant, who now serves as Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade, will also appear at WTM London on Thursday, 6 November, where he is scheduled to host the closing keynote interview with actor and writer Richard E. Grant.
Tourism remains a vital contributor to the UK economy, generating £145.8 billion—or 6.5% of GDP—and supporting 3.8 million jobs, including 1.6 million directly related to the sector. Nearly 330,000 businesses are classified as tourism enterprises, with three-quarters operating as microbusinesses. WTM London itself contributes an estimated £200 million to London’s economy each year through visitor spending on accommodation, transport, and entertainment.
“With VisitBritain confirmed as the Premier Partner, this year’s event sees an even stronger government presence at WTM London, which reflects not only how important the travel and tourism industry is to the UK authorities but also the role that WTM London plays to support that industry,” said Carter-Chapman.
WTM London 2025 is expected to attract more than 40,000 global travel professionals to the ExCeL centre, reinforcing the event’s reputation as a key platform for international collaboration and business development within the global tourism industry.
