Home » MEETING AND EVENT INDUSTRY NEWS » Inside the WTM’s London ITT Future You Summit: How The Biggest Travel Event is Giving Students the Tools to Land Top Careers in The Industry Published on
November 7, 2025With a warm smile and palpable excitement in the air, scores of young hopefuls gathered at the annual ITT Future You Summit, held as part of the WTM London event, where the message was clear: the travel industry in the UK is open—and waiting for you. Organised by the Institute of Travel & Tourism (ITT), the summit encouraged students and career‑seekers to dig in, persevere and network hard to secure roles in one of Britain’s most dynamic sectors.In a striking keynote, Kate Irwin, EMEA Managing Director at Skift, shared candidly how her own journey in travel looked more like a “trip gone wrong” than a straight path to success. She told the audience: “Your career will be a messy story; the messy chapters will be the best.” She urged the aspiring professionals to embrace mistakes, fail loudly, work hard and stay curious—lessons subtle but powerful for anyone entering the fast‑moving travel industry.Advertisement The summit also showcased young professionals who are already making waves in travel. One panellist revealed she had sent out around 200 placement applications and leveraged every connection she could find via LinkedIn and beyond. Another shared how he battled visa hurdles and rejections before landing a role in communications for a major tourism brand, stressing the vital importance of being open, proactive and driven. Their combined stories painted a picture of the travel sector as both achievable and demanding.Echoing the UK government’s and WTM own drive to boost tourism careers under the Tourism Sector Deal—which pledged to deliver 30,000 apprenticeships annually and develop strong career pathways across travel and hospitality. The deal supports the summit’s emphasis on skills, ambition and long‑term career development.Networking opportunities were abundant. The ITT’s careers fair ran alongside the main sessions, allowing students to meet industry veterans, brand representatives and hiring managers. The message was repeated: send your applications, make human connections, and don’t wait for the perfect job to appear—create it. A co‑founder of the foundation behind the ITT Future You initiative described the event’s growth from modest beginnings to a key fixture in the UK travel‑education landscape, emphasising how the industry offers “the best place to work in”.The summit also highlighted the technological and entrepreneurial sides of travel. One speaker urged students to embrace AI and coding, pointi …
