Lastminute.com travel director John Bevan is standing as a candidate in Abta’s restructured board of directors.
It’s the first time an online firm has put up a candidate, and the move is seen as indicative of Abta’s focus on representing the whole of the UK travel market, rather than the traditional bricks-and-mortar travel companies.
Bevan stands as a representative of LM Travel Services, the Abta-registered name for Lastminute.
If elected, Bevan has promised to give a voice to the wider travel industry.
He said: “I will partake as much as possible in making sure Abta represents the whole of the industry and lobbying the Government as opposed to just focusing on agents and the big four. We need a strong body Abta never seems to get as high a profile as it should.”
Abta president Justin Fleming welcomed Bevan’s decision to stand, saying: “Abta’s membership has been falling in the last five years and it is time to ensure that trend is reversed.
“The industry has been moving away from traditional agents and operators and is becoming far more diverse. We need to recognise that and create an association that appeals to different members of the travel sector.
“I’d like to think that one day companies such as EasyJet will even want to join us.”
Meanwhile, Council of Regions elections have not taken place because only one candidate stood in each region. All were appointed unopposed.