I was in a taxi this week and the driver said two things that really struck a chord.
He said the general election result had left Britain looking like a laughing stock: a country in a total mess with no strong leadership or direction, with an even bigger cloud of uncertainty hanging over it.
And, on asking what I did for a living, he then declared there was no way he would book a holiday until he “knew what was going on”.
It may have been only one person, but this state of limbo, which was paralysing his decision-making and, more specifically, his holiday-buying habits, is likely to be reflected elsewhere.
Nick Munday of Classic Collection certainly thinks so. He described the hung parliament as a “complete disaster” and another serious headwind – alongside others including Brexit and terrorism – that we have to withstand. Amid all this uncertainty, we can be sure of one thing: the industry’s desire to stamp out the epidemic of fake sickness claims.
Just a week after launching our campaign, companies representing more than 52,000 employees have signed up, with many more indicating they will follow suit.
It’s been great to see such a positive reaction to this challenge and also to areas of opportunity like the growth in the escorted touring sector, which we focus on in this week’s Special Edition, sponsored by Newmarket Holidays.
There’s no doubt we are facing headwinds. But whether it’s fighting back against lies or finding new ways to bring in sales, we have to find ways to battle through them.