NEWS TRAVEL CONVENTION 2016
Travel Convention 2016: Brexit’s impact on current and future bookings was a recurring theme at Abta’s annual conference. Ian Taylor, Lee Hayhurst and Phil Davies report from Abu Dhabi › Four-page round-up
Industry leaders’ lunch at Cipriani Yas Island
Tanzer fears Brexit is threat to open borders for travel
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer warned of a threat to freedom of movement and of “complacency in government” over Britain’s exit from the EU when he addressed The Travel Convention last week.
Speaking at the opening of the
event, Tanzer said “economic interconnectedness” continued to grow but there was a rising hostility to migrants. He said: “I want to warn against
any complacency. Even before the Brexit referendum we were
seeing barriers to migration rising. The IMF warned of a rising tide of protectionism.
“The prime minister returned
to a very traditional philosophy at the Conservative Party conference, [saying] that if you feel a citizen
“We will be arguing for a [Brexit] solution that meets the needs of the industry”
of the world you are a citizen of nowhere. I disagree with her. “We’ve seen rising animosity
to immigrants. [But] travel needs open borders – for visitors and for workers. We will be arguing for a [Brexit] solution that meets the needs of the industry. “Our priorities are open skies
and free movement of people, and they are tied together. You can’t separate them and we’ll try to make the government realise that. “My concern is there is a lot of complacency in government.” Geoff Meade, a former Press Association editor in Brussels, told the convention: “Don’t expect any solution any time soon that anyone understands.” However, he added: “There are two major elections next year, in France and Germany, which could change everything.” Sunvil managing director Chris
Mark Tanzer
Wright said: “My biggest concern is the exchange rate. We have a good hedging policy, but even if we manage to keep prices down, customers will experience higher prices in resort.”
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travelweekly.co.uk 20 October 2016
Operators urged to diversify range of destinations
Abta’s Mark Tanzer warned that “a niche [destination] could become a tomb” for operators that fail to diversify. Outlining pressures facing
destinations, the association’s chief executive told The Travel Convention: “There are some real challenges – first and foremost around security. The threat of terror attacks, real or perceived, is rising. We’ve not yet seen customers deterred from travelling, but we have seen customers switching to ‘safer’ countries.” He warned: “Destinations can shrink. Companies need flexibility so a niche does not become a tomb.” But Tanzer also asked:
“How do you balance growth in visitor numbers with maintaining a destination? “Destinations may not have the space, the money or the will to make investments. “The challenge is to think about value rather than growth in numbers and to do that we need new ways to measure [value].”
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