At WTM London 2025, exhibitors donated £8,300. The show’s organisers matched the amount, bringing the total contribution to £16,600. The final financial impact will be even greater, as visitors were also encouraged to donate directly to Just a Drop through the WTM London registration form.

According to the organisers, this represents the largest donation in the history of the long-standing partnership between WTM London and the charity.

Just a Drop has been WTM London’s charity partner for 28 years. During that time, the event has helped raise more than £140,000, supporting 12,574 people through 17 safe water projects across nine countries.

The partnership has now been renewed for another year. Just a Drop will also take part in WTM London 2026, which will be held in London from 3 to 5 November. Visitors will be able to meet the charity’s team, learn more about its projects and find out how they can support its work.

Funding to support farming communities

The money raised through WTM London 2025 will help fund a Watershed Restoration Programme in Nicaragua. The initiative is focused primarily on rural communities whose livelihoods depend heavily on agriculture and reliable access to water.

Watersheds play a crucial role in the natural water cycle, retaining water before it flows into rivers, seas and lower-lying basins. Conservation measures can help them store more groundwater, making it more safely accessible to local communities. Effective watershed management can also improve soil fertility — an essential factor for farmers growing crops both to feed their families and to sell.

The programme will be delivered in partnership with El Porvenir, Just a Drop’s local partner in Nicaragua. One of its key areas of work will be the introduction of more sustainable land-management practices.

These include agroforestry, an approach that combines crop production and livestock grazing with the planting of trees and shrubs. Such systems can help maintain agricultural productivity while protecting soils from degradation and supporting water conservation.

The project will also introduce further soil and water conservation measures, alongside environmental education initiatives led with the active involvement of local communities.

Together, these measures are expected to help restore forest cover, improve water management, strengthen rural livelihoods and make farming communities more resilient to drought and other climate-related pressures over the long term.

Focus on Waslala and Camoapa

The programme is concentrating on the Waslala and Camoapa regions of Nicaragua, where rural communities dependent on agriculture are increasingly experiencing drought, soil degradation and other climate-related challenges.

Although Nicaragua has considerable water resources overall, access to safe drinking water remains uneven. According to information provided by Just a Drop and WTM London, long-standing infrastructure problems, the legacy of conflict and the impact of natural disasters make access particularly difficult in drought-prone rural areas. The organisers state that 19% of Nicaragua’s population currently lacks access to safe water.

Additional funding will allow the watershed restoration programme to expand its reach and increase the number of rural families able to benefit from the project.

“Access to safe water changes lives”

WTM London Event Director Chris Carter-Chapman said that supporting environmental and social initiatives remains an important part of the event’s wider sustainability agenda.

“We are proud to be a Just a Drop Founding Partner and delighted to see our financial contribution rise to new heights in 2025 thanks to the continued generosity of show exhibitors and attendees,” he said.

Carter-Chapman added that championing sustainability is an important part of WTM London’s ethos and that the partnership with Just a Drop allows the organisation to see the tangible impact of its support.

Fiona Jeffery OBE, Founder and President of Just a Drop, highlighted the wider impact that reliable access to safe water can have on both health and economic security.

“Access to safe water changes lives, not only by protecting the health of communities, but also by securing the livelihoods they rely on. Thanks to the record-breaking donation from WTM London 2025, we will be able to support a watershed project in Nicaragua, which will change the lives of rural communities both now and in the years to come,” she said.

The long-standing partnership between WTM London and Just a Drop is also an example of how the international travel industry is increasingly incorporating sustainability and social responsibility into its wider agenda. For WTM London itself, these issues form part of a broader professional discussion bringing together tourism businesses, government representatives, international companies, investors and industry experts.

The collaboration will continue at WTM London 2026, where Just a Drop will present its projects to exhibitors and visitors and highlight opportunities to support safe-water initiatives around the world.

Photos provided WTM PR

WTM London 2026 — Visitor Information

Dates: 3–5 November 2026
Venue: ExCeL London
Address: Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL, United Kingdom
www.wtm.com