Visiting World Travel Market (WTM) London? Dates, Venue and Forex Tips

Three days at WTM London can open doors to international partnerships, new markets and fresh business opportunities. 

WTM London is where the travel trade books the following year. For an Indian tour operator, hotelier or DMC, three days at ExCeL can replace a quarter of outbound sales calls. The constraint is rarely the show itself. It is the British visa queue and the cost of a week in one of the world's most expensive cities.

 WTM London 2026 runs from 3 to 5 November at ExCeL London, which drew more than 46,500 travel trade buyers and sellers and 2.2 billion pounds in deals at its record 2025 edition. Indian visitors need a Standard Visitor visa, which now costs 135 pounds, and should carry pounds on a forex card rather than swiping an Indian credit card.
 
This guide covers the dates and venue, who the show is for, registration, where to stay, getting around, the visa position, medical cover, the luxury options, and how to carry pounds without losing money on every transaction. 

WTM London 2026 Dates and Venue

The show runs from Tuesday 3 November to Thursday 5 November 2026 at ExCeL London, on Royal Victoria Dock in the east of the city. It is organised by RX and has been the anchor event of the UK travel trade calendar for almost five decades.

The scale is the point. The 2025 edition drew more than 46,500 attendees and generated 2.2 billion pounds in deals, across tourism boards, hotel groups, airlines, cruise lines, tech suppliers and online travel firms. 

Registration and Badges

Entry is by paid trade ticket, booked online in advance through the official WTM London site, since no tickets are sold at the door. From 1 October to 2 November a visitor ticket costs £89 plus VAT, while buyers who meet WTM’s criteria can apply for a free place on its Buyer Programme. Badges arrive by email about two weeks before the show and must be printed in advance, as there is no printing on site, and under-16s are not admitted.

Register before you apply for the visa. The confirmation, plus any exhibitor or invitation letter, backs up the business purpose on a Standard Visitor form.

WTM does not send personal invitations. Ticket holders can still ask for a visa support letter, and the show advises taking proof of your job and of your employer’s business. 

Where to Stay and How to Reach ExCeL

ExCeL has its own cluster of hotels within walking distance. They sell out first and price hard during show weeks. Canary Wharf is the practical middle ground, a short DLR ride away with better restaurants and meeting space.

Central London is cheaper to find at short notice, and the Elizabeth line makes it a workable option, with trains from Custom House reaching Tottenham Court Road in about 15 minutes and Bond Street in about 17. On the DLR, Prince Regent station serves the venue’s eastern entrance. 

What to See, Eat and Buy Between Meetings

Greenwich sits across the river from ExCeL and covers the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark and a good market in a single afternoon. Closer to the city, the Tate Modern, the British Museum and the South Bank walk are all free to enter.

Eat where Londoners eat. Borough Market for lunch, Brick Lane for curry, and the Sunday roast at any decent pub. Oxford Street and Regent Street hold the flagships, while Covent Garden and Shoreditch carry the smaller labels.

One budgeting point that surprises Indian visitors. The United Kingdom scrapped tax free shopping for international visitors in January 2021, so there is no VAT refund at the airport on your way home. The price on the tag is the price you pay. 

Visa Requirements for Indian Visitors

Indian passport holders need a Standard Visitor visa, which covers attending trade shows, meetings and negotiations. India is not on the Electronic Travel Authorisation list, so the full visa applies.

The six month Standard Visitor fee rose from 127 pounds to 135 pounds on 8 April 2026. A standard appointment at a VFS centre costs nothing extra. You pay more only at a premium centre or for extras such as courier return. Priority service adds £500, and Super Priority adds £1,000.

Standard processing runs about 15 working days from your biometrics appointment, and longer in peak season. From 25 February 2026 the visit visa comes as a digital eVisa rather than a sticker in your passport, and from 1 July 2026 every UK visa route works the same way. Create a UKVI account and check the record before you fly.

Applying in October leaves little time. Fifteen working days from a mid-October appointment runs right into the week of the show. Priority service costs £500 more and aims for a decision within five working days, so it is the safer choice. 

Emergencies and Medical Care

Dial 999 for police, fire or ambulance, and 111 for non emergency medical advice. Visitors are not covered by the NHS the way residents are, and hospital care is billed to overseas visitors at 150 percent of the standard NHS rate.

Travel insurance with solid medical cover is the answer, and it costs little next to a trade show budget. Pharmacies such as Boots are everywhere for minor problems, though several common Indian medicines require a prescription in the United Kingdom. 

Travelling at the Top End

If the week includes client entertaining, the address does the talking. Mayfair and St James's hotels, a private members club for after hours meetings, and a car booked by the day rather than the ride are the standard answers.

For a more scenic route into central London, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers operates from Royal Wharf Pier, roughly a 20-minute walk from ExCeL, and the journey to London Bridge takes around 40 minutes. That makes it better suited to an evening of client entertaining than to a tightly scheduled day of meetings. 

Where to Check the Real Cost

Card and counter rates are rarely shown next to the live benchmark. The  BookMyForex GBP to INR converter  shows the interbank pound rate in real time, which is the number every quote should be measured against.

Register early, start the visa in September, book meetings before you book flights, and WTM pays for itself well before the show closes. 

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