New UK Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock will make her first appearance at WTM London 2025 to strengthen government-tourism ties.

Published on October 29, 2025

WTM London welcomes new Tourism Minister as UK government relations strengthen

Newly appointed Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock will make her debut at this year’s World Travel Market (WTM) in London, the premier global event for the travel and tourism industry. Peacock’s first official participation will be at the opening ceremony of WTM London 2025, scheduled to take place on Tuesday 4 November at 09:00, which will be hosted at the ExCeL London venue. She will be accompanied by key figures, including Patricia Yates, CEO of VisitBritain, the main partner of this year’s event.

Following the opening ceremony, Minister Peacock will participate in the UN Ministerial Summit, organized in collaboration with the UN World Tourism Organization and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). This annual summit, now in its 19th year, is the largest gathering of tourism ministers, advisors and senior executives from the tourism sector. Peacock will deliver opening remarks at the summit.

In the afternoon, at 14:00, the Minister will lead a closed roundtable discussion focusing on sustainable tourism with EU Ministers. Later, at 15:00, she will join a panel discussion of senior executives entitled “The Advantages of Soft Power: Leveraging the UK’s Global Influence”, which will be held in the Yellow Theater and is open to all WTM attendees.

The day will conclude with Minister Peacock attending the Ministerial Reception, a networking dinner hosted for participants in the Ministerial Summit, held in the famous Churchill War Rooms in central London.

Chris Carter Chapman, Event Director, WTM London, said: “We are delighted to welcome the new Tourism Minister and are proud that she has made time in her schedule to visit the World Travel Market in London. We look forward to discussing the importance of inbound, outbound and domestic tourism, introducing her to some of the key players and highlighting the key role the World Travel Market plays in supporting the UK’s tourism sector.”

In September, Peacock took up the tourism portfolio as part of her expanded role within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the UK government department that oversees culture, arts, media, sport, tourism and civil society.

Tourism affairs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are under the control of their devolved governments. The DCMS provides funding to VisitBritain, a non-departmental government entity, which in turn operates VisitEngland and collaborates closely with tourism bodies across the devolved countries. VisitBritain’s overarching mission is to promote the UK as a destination for both domestic and international visitors, highlighting the country’s year-round appeal.

Peacock took over tourism responsibilities from Sir Chris Bryant, who had served as Tourism Minister for just over a year. Sir Chris will now attend WTM London 2025 as the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade. While Peacock takes on the tourism role, she will continue to oversee sport, civil society and youth affairs, areas she was responsible for in her previous role at DCMS.

Bryant is scheduled to appear on Thursday, November 6, where he will lead the closing keynote conversation with actor and writer Richard E. Grant at 3:30pm on the Yellow Stage.

Carter Chapman, Events Director at WTM London, added; “We were speaking to Sir Chris before he moved into trade. It is a positive sign that he remains interested in tourism and the role it plays as part of the UK’s overall trade balance.”

Tourism contributes £145.8 billion to the UK economy, representing 6.5% of the country’s GDP. The sector supports 3.8 million job opportunities, of which 1.6 million are directly related to tourism. Nearly 330,000 businesses are classified as tourism-related, three-quarters of which are small businesses.

The London World Travel Market plays a major role in the UK’s tourism sector and also provides a major boost to London’s economy. The event attracted more than 40,000 travel professionals last year, with 82% of attendees coming from abroad. These international visitors spent money on transport, accommodation and entertainment during their stay, and studies estimate their spending contributed around £200 million to the capital’s economy.