One of the high points of our year is the publication of our Take Off in Travel guide to careers and development in the travel industry.
Now in its fifth year, it is a fantastic publication that showcases the best of our amazing industry to those looking to take their first steps on the employment ladder – and reminds us what a great industry we work in.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been chatting to a range of partners about the content for this year’s edition. But in the last few days, I’ve noticed that a lot of the optimism I’d been hearing about companies’ plans for training, recruitment and development has been tempered by post-referendum uncertainty around strategy and investment.
One of the common themes in the fallout from the vote has been the impact on young people, and how their own largely positive attitude towards a Remain vote was not enough to counter those predominantly older voters who opted for Leave.
The travel industry is incredibly reliant on young, multinational staff. It also boasts a great track record for supporting talent, from grassroots to the boardroom. So any detrimental impact on this demographic will be felt particularly keenly.
The vote for Brexit has left our industry facing many challenges, including currency fluctuations, consumer confidence and confusion over possible changes to travel arrangements.
But while the short and mid-term viability of our businesses should quite rightly be our main focus, we must ensure we don’t lose sight of those who will be responsible for those businesses in the future.