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nded a filming day ahead of next week’s event. Lee Hayhurst reports


Travel bosses tip a decent year but lates to be tricky


Industry bosses predicted 2018 will be a good year for travel as consumers continue to travel despite economic and political uncertainty.


Paul Carter, chief executive of


Inghams parent Hotelplan UK, said the firm had enjoyed a good winter after the best snowfall in the Alps for 40 years, although too much snow had been a problem at times. And he was optimistic about the


overall prospects for the sector. “It will be a decent year,” he said.


“Holidays are things that people want to take.” Carter said he expects Brexit to


have an impact if flying becomes more difficult and costs have been pushed up due to the weak pound. Nick Cooper, director of online operator Villa Plus, said it was


“I think it will be quite a good year but the late-booking market will be challenging”


CARTER: ‘It will be a decent year. Holidays are things people want’


“already virtually sold out” for summer 2018 and yields had been “acceptable”. However, he said firms that rely


on the lates market could struggle. “I think it will be quite a good


year but the late-booking market will be even more challenging than previous years,” he said. “The big question is, have you got enough bookings in now so you don’t need to discount in the lates?” Olly Brendon, chief executive of ATD Travel Services, said he


expected 2018 to be largely in line with 2017, which was a good year. He added the tickets specialist


was seeing strong sales for Florida, which was a good “litmus test” for the sector as a whole. However, the Travel Trade Consultancy’s Alcock felt this year could be tough for travel firms. “In the first quarter we have


seen a real challenge across the retail sector and I think travel will feel its share of that,” he said.


Hindle: Brands should have ‘higher purpose’


All brands must think about their “higher purpose” beyond just being transactional, according to the boss of a leading travel public relations firm. Debbie Hindle, managing director of Four


Travel, said it is particularly important to have a “purpose” in the digital age as consumers have the ability to share their views about brands. “Once you understand your purpose, it


becomes your story,” she said, “And in the digital space you can carry that across everything you do. “What makes a great brand


is purpose; it cannot just be a transactional brand that says ‘come and buy my products’.” Hindle (pictured) said it was


equally important to have a purpose for staff so that they know they are


working to achieve something that delivers value to the customer. Digital channels and social media also offer


brands insight into customers, such as who is the most influential and the most unhappy, so problems can be addressed directly and with transparency and integrity. But Hindle said many brands believe they understand sentiment by conducting traditional market research and have no idea what people are really saying about them. She said: “Look at what people are generally saying, rather than what they say when they fill out forms. If you understand that, you understand


what they respond to and what they see as negative and positive.”


About the forum


This year’s event will be the 13th annual Barclays Travel Forum. Around 325 travel industry bosses and senior managers will attend the half-day event at the British Museum in London on May 9. The forum is organised by Chris Lee, head of travel and professional sports at Barclays Corporate Banking. Lee said the agenda reflects some of the big issues facing travel firms including the raft of new legislation such as GDPR data rules, the new Package Travel Directive and the Payments Services Directive 2. “With all of the stuff coming


in this year we felt we had to have a section on regulation; it’s a big topic for the industry in 2018,” he said. “The event will start with our usual global economic update that will set the scene for some of the sessions that follow.” This year’s forum will focus


on four main areas: the economy, regulatory changes, niche holidays, and brand and reputation.


SPEAKERS l Nick Ferrari, broadcaster, LBC radio


l Richard Moriarty, chief executive, Civil Aviation Authority


l Richard Masters, managing director, The Premier League


l Fiona Hathorn, managing director, Women on Boards UK


l Graham Pickett, senior partner, Deloitte


l Anni Hood, founder and managing director, Well Business Solutions


l Lucia Rowe, head of UK and Ireland, A-Rosa River Cruises


l Brian Young, managing director EMEA, G Adventures


l Steve Dunne, chief executive, Digital Drums


3 May 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 71


PICTURES: LEE HAYHURST


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