UKinbound has signed a new partnership agreement with the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), which will give UKinbound supplier members the opportunity to attend ETOA’s 2022 British and Ireland Marketplace (BIM) event.

Taking place in-person on Friday 28 January 2022 at InterContinental London - The O2, followed by an online day on Tuesday 1 February, over 350 delegates are expected to attend the two-day, business-focused hybrid event.

A B2B workshop will facilitate more than 10,000 meetings between key decision makers from international tour operators, transport providers and travel organisers, who want to meet with English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and Irish historical landmarks, tourist attractions, hotels and tourist boards.

This latest agreement forms part of a collaboration between the two associations, which in recent months has included a range of joint lobbying activity to support members who have faced unprecedented challenges due to Covid-19.

In September this year, ETOA CEO Tom Jenkins attended UKinbound’s Annual Convention in Manchester, continuing the united front in support of British and Irish business.

Joss Croft, CEO, UKinbound said: “Looking to 2022 and the revival of the UK’s tourism industry, collaboration will be the key to success, and I’m therefore delighted that through this partnership, UKinbound supplier members will have the opportunity to attend BIM, which will provide them with a range of both commercial and networking opportunities.”

Tom Jenkins, CEO, ETOA added: “This is a critical moment in the recovery. The industry works in advance: for sales to take place in North American and Asia, they need a 12–18-month lead time. BIM 2022 will take place in the middle of planning for 2023.

150 top product buyers who are members of ETOA and UKInbound will attend the in-person event. At the online event we will have a world-wide audience, with operators joining us from Seattle to Shanghai. With over £1 billion of spend on offer, BIM 2022 marks the start of the return to business.”

For more information about BIM visit www.etoa.org/bim