Yachtswoman Tracy Edwards has urged the travel industry to
embrace newtechnology.
Speaking at the ABTA Convention in Palma, Edwards said: “Technology is changing
everything, how we compete and how we save money. It is invading every corner
of the earth and if companies do not keep up, they will be left behind. If I am to win races, or just survive, I must keep up with technology.”
She also told the industry it must think creatively if it is
to prosper.
Edwards said her team, the first all female yachting crew,
was successful because it was made up of seven different nationalities and drew
from everyone’s experience.
She said: “We did not have any preconceived idea. No-one
said ‘we don’t do things that way’. Change must be embraced.”
Edwards is now signed to a four-year sponsorship deal with
Qatar to promote sailing in the country, including two races in 2005 and 2006.