The first three days of World Travel Market 2012, the leading global event for the travel industry, experienced an impressive visitor increase of four per cent.

Monday 5th to Wednesday 7th November saw 38,735 visitors walk through the doors of ExCeL – London to attend WTM 2012, according to unaudited figures.

This compares to 37,331 across the first three days of WTM 2011.

Wednesday November 7th saw a phenomenal nine per cent visitor increase, compared to the equivalent day the previous year, taking the total visitor number 13,638.

On Tuesday November 6th more than 17,000 (17,105) visitors came to WTM, a one per cent increase on the second day of last year’s event.

Tuesday is the busiest day of WTM as it is the first day the event is open to the whole industry following on from the exhibitor-invite only policy on the Monday. 

The first day of WTM 2012 was a resounding success with exhibitor invitation visitors up five per cent on last year’s event to almost 8,000 (7,992).

The Monday of WTM is an exhibitor Invite-only day with the aim of allowing exhibitors to hold discussions and negotiations with those buyers that they want to conduct business with.

Reed Travel Exhibitions director World Travel Market Simon Press said: “I am delighted with the visitor attendance of WTM 2012 across the first three days.

“These figures demonstrate the power and importance of WTM to the industry and the role it plays in facilitating business for sector.

“WTM 2011 generated £1,653 million in industry deals, with this year’s event poised to facilitate even more business for our exhibitors.”