Industry must keep 'watching brief' on world events, warns Airlines UK chief

The industry must keep a “watching brief” but demand for travel continues to rise despite current geopolitical uncertainty, the Advantage Travel Partnership conference has been told.

Referring to instability caused by the war in the Middle East, supply chain issues and US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, industry leaders said the sector was used to uncertainty.

Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade admitted the travel market to the US market looked “a bit tricky” but urged: “Let’s keep a watching brief. It’s disconcerting but it’s not like we haven’t been here before.”

He added: “We will always adapt; we can move capacity around. It’s unstable but we don’t know what the next six to 12 months will look like. There is quite a significant watching brief but in most markets demand is going up.”

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Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said agreed: “The industry is great at reimagining itself. People are not going to not travel. Unpredictable times are difficult as business leaders but we are great at adapting.”

She was confident the US tariffs would soon become a “blip” for the sector.

“We are impacted [by tariffs] but it will just be another thing we have dealt with. Will it put people off travelling? I don’t think so,” she said.

But Oli Winton, senior managing director, FTi Consulting, said financial institutions needed stability to make decisions.

Speaking about the likelihood of US tariffs becoming a “distant memory” soon, he said: “The constant change is worse than a higher tax rate. I don’t see how we will not be discussing it in a month’s time.”

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