Abta’s 2024 Travel Convention will come at a critical time, chief executive Mark Tanzer tells Ian Taylor
The Abta Travel Convention in October will take place as industry engagement with the new government ramps up and the US prepares for its presidential election, and attendees can expect to hear from leading news journalists on what to expect.
Sky News presenter Jonathan Samuels will moderate the Convention for the first time, “bringing a news perspective” to the event, according to Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer, and he will be joined by broadcast journalist Ros Atkins as a keynote speaker.
Tanzer noted: “The US election will be getting to fever pitch by October and it’s a big election for the world. It will be critical in terms of what happens in Ukraine, with Israel, with Nato and with climate.”
He described early signs of the new Labour government’s approach to the industry as “positive”, saying: “The signs are they’re committed to our sector and to aviation and realise it’s important to the economic future of the country. They’re committed to a low carbon future and want to engage.
“More broadly, there is chance to reset our relationship with Europe which is welcome. There are areas where we need closer cooperation. These are positive signals.”
EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren will share his views on the path to sustainability for aviation and outlook for the industry as he delivers a keynote ahead of stepping down in January.
Lundgren’s colleague Garry Wilson, easyJet Holidays’ chief executive, will join a panel debate with fellow Abta board members Andrew Flintham, Tui UK managing director, and Ruth Marshall – until recently Royal Caribbean Group general counsel and RCL Cruises managing director.
Tanzer explained: “They’ll discuss the current state of play, what we’re looking for from the government, the challenges over the next five years and what we can do as an industry to shape our future, as well as how we take customers on the journey to a low-carbon future.”
He argued: “Climate change is the big challenge for us – we need to face up squarely to that over the next five to 10 years and work in partnership with government to try to show that people can travel responsibly.
“The impact of climate change is coming faster than any of us foresaw. We thought about it maybe as something in 2040, but we see an impact now and will be having to react to that on a short-term basis.”
The changing climate may already be having an impact on the market, he suggested, noting “people are booking later” and it makes the market “hard to read at the moment although the volume of passengers is high”.
The shorter booking window “is quite an issue for the industry”, he said, arguing: “People say, ‘It’s because of the football’.” He believes there is “something more fundamental underneath”, suggesting: “It’s partly because climate change is making things more unpredictable.
“People think ‘I’ll wait to see what the temperature is going to before I commit’ or ‘Is there going to be snow for skiing?’.”
Tanzer said: “The industry is probably going to have to get used to the fact that one of the consequences of a heating planet is that people will book closer to departure, which makes it harder to manage.”
However, he added: “Having said that, the weather here isn’t great and people want to get away. They want some sunshine, and that will remain the case. People’s annual holiday is very high on their list of priorities.”
‘We want tourists to feel welcome’
Allied to sustainability, though not linked to climate change, there is the issue of ‘over tourism’ and the recent protests against some of the impacts of tourism in parts of Spain.
Tanzer said: “I’m sure the protests in Spain will come up [at the Convention]. From what I hear, the demonstrations tend to be about the price of rental accommodation, about housing rather than purely about tourism.
“The complaints are that residents have been priced out of housing because of private rentals.
“Before the arrival of Airbnb, destinations limited the number of tourists by the number of hotel licenses. You had some measure of control. Once that cap came off, the numbers were basically unlimited so it is an issue.
“We say tourism is a force for good, but that means involving the community that is hosting you, making sure they feel they’re getting a good return not just economically but socially.
“There is a requirement that as an industry we work hard with destinations to make tourism good for them. But limiting the amount of private rentals would do more to address that. The last thing destinations want is people to stop coming all together.”
He added: “Private [holiday] rentals are not just driving up the cost of renting for locals, you have tourism in places where people weren’t expecting tourism.
“You have people partying in an apartment above you when you’re trying to get up for work. It has put tourism much more into people’s lives in a way it wasn’t before.
“We’re not saying we haven’t got a problem, that ‘It’s all Airbnb’. But that is where we need to focus. It’s part of our dialogue with ministers and destinations. We want tourists to feel welcome and hosts to want us. Anything we can do to work together on that is important.”
A view from beyond the travel sector
‘Shaping our Future’ will be the Convention theme, with business consultancy Deloitte providing analysis on the economic, social and technological changes shaping the world and their impact on customers and customer strategies.
Tanzer said: “Deloitte will lead a session on these changes, looking beyond travel to the broader commercial world.”
Another keynote speaker, Minette Batters – who just finished her term as president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) – will bring a view on the challenges from beyond the travel sector.
Tanzer explained: “Minette will bring a different take – on Brexit’s impact on the farming community, on climate change, on how to balance high standards with customers wanting low-cost food, and whether the change of government will change the approach to some of these issues.”
Attendees can also expect a keynote on leadership from Blaire Palmer, business consultant and author, who proposes a devolved model of leadership.
Tanzer said: “Work has changed and the idea that a small group of people at the centre of an organisation can make the best decisions is no longer viable. The model that Blaire advocates should stimulate debate about how we run our businesses.”
He noted this model ultimately derives from the battlefield strategies of Prussian Field Marshal von Moltke in the 19th Century, who argued that “to win battles you had to set an objective and let people on the ground get on with it”.
The sessions will be structured, as in previous years, under the headings ‘Our world’, ‘Our industry’ and ‘Your business’, with Tanzer noting: “It’s a way to provide context on the issues we face day to day.”
The Travel Convention will take place on October 7-9 at the Costa Navarino resort in the southwest Peloponnese of Greece – “a beautiful part of the world and a venue that lends itself to networking”, said Tanzer.
Registration remains open: abta.com/events/the-travel-convention