BUSINESS NEWS Convention to debate overtourism Ian Taylor


Protests directed at tourism and its impacts in major destinations such as Majorca have continued this year and Abta chief Mark Tanzer said: “We can’t turn a blind eye to it.” Abta’s Travel Convention in


October will be hosted by Calvià in Majorca and the overtourism protests will necessarily be reflected in the conference programme. Tanzer noted: “I was in Palma


when a couple of cruise ships came in and you couldn’t move in the centre of the city in the middle of the day.” He acknowledged: “The people


[off the cruise ships] weren’t really adding a lot of value to the local economy. They were maybe buying an ice cream and that was it.” But he added: “Having said that,


there was an event at the Spanish embassy [in London] at the start


Tanzer: Industry can reduce carbon impact per person


This year’s Travel Convention will mirror last year’s in Greece by addressing the challenges posed by intensifying global warming. When Abta chief executive


Mark Tanzer addressed the 2024 convention, he noted: “It’s quite possible certain types of holidays will become untenable.” The 2025 event had to return to


climate issues because “the planet is hotting up”, he said, adding: “This year has been hotter than last year. We had the driest-ever spring and record temperatures in June.” He said: “I know Brits like the


heat and will still go out when it hits 40 degrees, but that is not a


travelweekly.co.uk Mark Tanzer


great holiday experience if you have children and when not everywhere has air conditioning.” Tanzer noted the challenges


could prove existential for many winter destinations as melting glaciers imperil ski resorts. But he insisted: “With the right


regulatory changes and air traffic control [improvements], we can reduce our carbon footprint per passenger and continue to fly and be part of an economic growth story.”


of June at which mayors from eight of the most-popular destinations in Spain talked about overtourism and I get a sense they’re taking the issue seriously. The mayors are elected and need to listen to the residents who are their voters.” Tanzer said: “I don’t know if


enough is being done and whether it’s happening fast enough, but people are aware that just continuing to fly in large numbers of visitors isn’t going to work.” The Balearics government led


the way in imposing a tourism tax in 2016, levied via hotels and other accommodation, with the proceeds invested in sustainability initiatives. It announced a significant rise in rates for June to August this summer while axing the tax in January and February. Tanzer said: “You don’t want a


tax to be so high that it suppresses demand. That is not a good way


Spanish citizens protest against excessive tourism


to control overtourism. But if residents feel some benefits of tourism are going back into their lives and into the economy, we understand that and can live with it.” He noted: “The tax isn’t a great


amount relative to the amount people spend on a holiday. It’s more a question of what is done with it.” Tanzer said Abta had chosen


Calvià to host the convention because it has “knocked down


‘AI poses threat to development of travel sector’s future leaders’


The 2025 Travel Convention will “look at some of the issues around the impact of AI” but take a different approach to normal, according to Abta chief Mark Tanzer. He told Travel


Weekly: “The most interesting part of AI to me is not what people are doing with it, but how it changes how we manage in the workplace.” Tanzer noted: “A lot of


entry-level graduate jobs can now be done effectively by AI. The trouble is, if you don’t bring in junior people, you don’t have senior people in 10 years’ time.


“So, how do you manage


career development in a world where a lot of basic tasks can be done more quickly and cheaply by intelligent systems – because that is where people learn about business, about dealing with customers, working in teams and dealing with


pressure.” He argued: “I don’t think


we’ve given enough attention to the human side of AI. Are we going to have lots of job losses or will it augment us, and what does that mean for how we structure businesses?”


4 SEPTEMBER 2025 63


some old hotels and put investment into the beaches and we want to showcase what it’s doing”. The Travel Convention 2025


will take place on October 6-8. i For full details about The Travel


Convention, and to register, visit: abta.com/events/the-travel-convention


PICTURES: Shutterstock/Magdalena Rydz, tadamichi


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