The British Tourism & Travel Show (BTTS) has been hailed a success by organisers and exhibitors following its return on 19 March, with praise given to the quality of visitors and strong engagement seen across both the exhibition floor and seminar programme.
Exhibitors point to a busy show floor and meaningful commercial engagement with many reporting a combination of new business generation and valuable face-to-face contact with existing clients.
Among the notable highlights on the show floor were brochure launches from major tour wholesalers including Ashley and Newey, Albatross Travel, Greatdays Travel Group and Norman Allen Group Travel.
Destination marketing activity also drew attention, with Visit Liverpool and Partners stand attracting interest alongside the presence of Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League Trophy. The Devon’s Top Attractions area, representing 40 destinations and 13 stand partners, remained busy throughout the day.
The seminar theatre sessions also performed strongly with organisers reporting that four out of the five sessions reached standing-room-only capacity.
A new addition for 2026, the ‘Tourism Tycoon’ interactive feature, was credited as driving deeper engagement across the show. Designed to gamify attendance, it encouraged visitors to explore stands and sessions through a passport-style challenge, with 26 participants winning prizes including hotel stays and attraction tickets.
More broadly, visitors highlighted the event’s networking value and breadth of product on offer.
“BTTS is great for us to showcase our products and do business face to face, keeping that human element in place which can be lost in modern life,” comments Lewis Jacklin, Sales Manager at Distinctive Systems. “We’ve had plenty of interest in our products from group tour planners as well as coach operators, which confirms current and new customers like to know more about the people they are buying from.”
Says Matt Lyne, Programme Manager, Barton Hill Travel: “As always, BTTS did not disappoint. It was refreshing to see the new opportunities that may be available for future groups. I found the day really enjoyable and a great way to expand my business contacts in a relaxed, fun and friendly environment.”
