Thomas Cook chief executive Harriet Green hopes to help the industry lobby government after she stabilises the UK business.
Green sits alongside company bosses such as Dyson founder James Dyson and John Lewis managing director Andy Street on prime minister David Cameron’s business advisory group.
The group meets quarterly to give Cameron advice on business and economic issues facing the UK. Green joined the group before she took up her role at Thomas Cook in July last year.
She told a Travel Weekly Business Breakfast: “I think it’s helpful to Thomas Cook that I’m in that position.
“I’ve started wherever possible to lobby. Obviously I’ve had my hands full, but it’s on my agenda to look at how well this industry lobbies.
“You don’t want to be someone who’s whining about only your industry’s things. It is important, as I get Thomas Cook more stabilised, to think about how I can help the industry in a more effective way.”
She added: “It seems to me that the government, through a whole host of means, sees this industry as a revenue generator. I always try to sit next to George [Osborne] and have a chat about that, particularly in preparation for his budget.
“One of the problems is there isn’t a focused, dedicated central point. There is no minister [for travel and tourism], it’s all bundled in with other things. I think there’s work to be done there.”