| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 15/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 74 |
| Copyright: Other |
Freudmann leaves after yearsof expenses and great speeches
Victory:Freudmann celebrates after winning over the Institute of Travel and TourismOutgoing ABTApresident Steven Freudmann is not everyone’s cup of tea at Newman Street.
His office, adorned with numerous pictures of himself with various famous people, doesn’t endear him to the quieter members of the association.
And he’s always been at the centre of controversy for spending nearly £1,000 a week on expenses (Travel Weekly January 27).
But Freudmann leaves the association in a strong position and he will certainly be missed by journalists because, unlike thousands of other people I could mention, he speaks from the heart and is never afraid to give you his opinion.
Who else would dub the biggest operator “the black sheep of the travel industry” in a statement about commission cutting that almost made smoke come out of the ears of former Thomson chief executive Paul Brett?
Who else would accept an accolade from the Institute of Travel and Tourism and in his acceptance speech claim the ITT means “absolutely nothing?”
And who else would attack the Greeks over the forthcoming ABTAconvention in Kos?
All great stuff. But fear not, we have a sneaking suspicion that he’ll be back.
And in the meantime, Bath Travel joint managing director Stephen “you’re better off investing in a new carpet than the Internet” Bath will keep up the good work if he becomes president.