AFTER successive short-haul conferences in Tenerife and Marbella, both of which attracted in excess of 2,500 delegates, numbers for this year’s conference in Cairns will be significantly down.
But, with one or two notable exceptions, the decision-makers in the industry still appear willing to jet off to Australia along with around 500 agents. It is the sales and product teams that have been trimmed.
ABTA chief executive Ian Reynolds said the association was pleased with the calibre of delegates. “We have got a good mix,” he said. “Some people expressed concern that senior company directors would not attend but many are.”
Of the major tour operators, Thomson has scaled down its team more than most, with the on-going review of its business partly to blame. Thomson Holiday managing director Richard Bowden-Doyle, who is orchestrating the review, will be a notable absentee. Lunn Poly, as in previous years, is not taking a team to the event.
First Choice have trimmed their team from around 20 to just five with sales director John Wimbleton, managing director Dermot Blastland and specialist business managing director Kevin Ivie among them.
“We are not taking less people because we don’t think it will be successful but simply because we need someone to run the business in the UK,” said Wimbleton.
Airtours is halving its team to around eight but among them will be senior management. However, it is not repeating last year’s sponsorship of 100 agents.
Marketing and development director Ed Sims said: “You have to quantify the representation costs in pounds, shillings and pence. I think in Brisbane 10 years ago the industry used it as a great excuse for a cheap holiday. But it is now viewed as a long time out of the office. The days of long lunches are over and people are working longer hours and with more intensity.”
Thomas Cook will be represented at group level by chief executive John Donaldson, while both its retail teams are the same as last year. However, fewer tour operating staff will attend.
British Airways is taking a six-strong team to Cairns, and is joining forces with Travel Weekly, Qantas and Accor Hotels and Resort to sponsor 100 agents Down Under.
Travel 2 sales director David Holland said: “Many of these agents would not have been in a position to attend in their own right.”
P&O Cruises has halved its team to three. “We can justify a presence as we have other interests in Australia. Smaller businesses may not be able to do that,” said managing director Gwyn Hughes.
ABTA will also welcome a group of travel and tourism students from West Herts College. They have been supported by Jetset whose managing director John Bond said: “We believe students should see first hand what the industry is all about.”