Comment: This year’s Atas Conference showcased a sector on the up

I was in Leeds last week, moderating the seventh annual Atas Conference, as I have every year since its inception.

There were more than 400 delegates, including over 250 agents investing in their knowledge of the growing touring and adventure sector, and it felt like a real coming-of-age conference for Atas.

It reflected a growing confidence and maturity in the sector and in the association – apparent from the way the conference looked, the number and level of suppliers, the on-stage content and the engagement from agents in attendance.

This year’s theme was ‘Connect’, and the event did so on every level. It connected agents with this most experiential of holiday type – whether a tour, an adventure or an expedition cruise – and with the operators that can deliver them. Highlights included talks from Antarctic explorer Saunders Carmichael-Brown and Race Across the World contestant Betty Mukherjee, as well as Intrepid Travel boss James Thornton, whose decision to tailor his travel from Melbourne to attend was another sign of the event’s reach.

But the session that got everyone talking was with recently widowed consumer Carol Palmer, who gave an honest (sometimes too honest!) account of her misperceptions of a touring holiday and how they were blown away by the reality of a Just You trip to India.

Agents were urged to make hay while the sector remains largely free of OTA focus, and I can’t believe that will be the case for ever. But with Atas continuing to unite this incredible community, it feels like these increasingly knowledgeable experts are well-placed to take on anything.