A policy advisory group of senior industry figures has been formed by Advantage Travel Partnership to help shape its government lobbying efforts.
The group will comprise of ten members of the consortium from across the UK who have nominated themselves for inclusion.
The new body will seek to provide members with the opportunity to directly influence policy asks.
Members of the Advantage Policy Advisory Group include:
- Jacqueline Dobson – Barrhead Travel
- Jeanne Lally – Travel Bureau
- Tony Mann – Idle Travel
- Martin Founds – Anglers World Holidays
- Damian Murphy – Terra Travel
- Ashley Quint – TravelTime World
- Andy Cooper – Kognitive
- Sharon Thompson – Thompson Travel
- James O’Donnell – Eton Travel
- Suzanne Horner – Gray Dawes Group
The group’s first meeting is set to take place before the end of the year, with subsequent meetings taking place quarterly.
Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said: “Together with Aito, we have made good progress over the last couple of months in developing our lobbying strategy.
“The direct engagement with our respective memberships remains vital to ensure that any policy asks are relevant to them and reflect the needs of their businesses.
“The success of our lobbying efforts relies heavily on us all working together to amplify the voice for outbound travel amongst the relevant government departments, and our members play a key role in this.”
She added that one of Advantage’s key areas of focus in 2023 will be to help members engage with their local MPs.
O’Donnell added: “During the pandemic, Advantage was such a strong advocate for our industry and worked tirelessly to get our message heard.
“Advantage is now naturally seen as the industry leader in this area, and their work has opened so many doors and opportunities to raise the profile of the industry.
“I completely support this latest initiative and can’t think of a better vehicle to get our thoughts and needs across to government, think tanks and interested parties.”