Juliet Dennis


‘Tackle ageism or face more claims’ £103k


“That’s a massive jump,” she said,


Travel businesses are likely to face more ageism claims unless they embrace all ages and create diverse workforces, an employment lawyer has warned. C&M Travel Recruitment’s latest


webinar on tackling ageism in the travel industry heard unconscious bias still exists despite the ageing population, which will see nearly half of UK workers over 50 by 2030. Ami Naru, partner and head of


employment at Travlaw, said the average compensation payout for age discrimination had rocketed by more than 600% from £14,000 in 2022-23 to £103,000 in 2023-24, according to law firm Fox & Partners.


adding: “The outcome of that report was that the UK working population and employers are perversely ageist. “We have got an ageing population;


these higher claims will be more frequent unless businesses get their head round how to deal with ageism.” She reminded companies to think not just about their employees but also about the language they use in recruitment advertising, and urged companies to avoid using age as a criterion for a job. “Pull back from the words ‘mature,


youthful, recent graduate’. They are steering you towards a potential age discrimination claim. Remove age from the application forms,” she said. HR talent professional Claire


Holiday Best sets ambitious goals as it starts trade sales


Juliet Dennis


Tour operator Holiday Best has revealed ambitious trade targets nearly two years after initial plans to sell via agents were put on hold. The worldwide package operator,


which has an Atol for 81,000 passengers and launched to UK consumers in July 2023, will start selling through three consortia in May and will be available to other agents at the beginning of June. It said its focus will be on the


trade over the next 18 months as it targets 65% of sales through agents by the end of 2026. Head of trade sales Nicky Bird


6 10 APRIL 2025


joined in January from Premier Holidays and prior to that was at Red Sea Holidays. She said: “We didn’t launch as planned two years ago as we felt our website was a bit basic and wouldn’t deal with the volume of trade bookings – we wanted to get everything right. We know how important the trade is, so we’ve had a brand-new, bookable website built.” The operator offers 36


destinations, but is particularly known for Turkey, where it owns two hotels. Other destinations include Greece, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Tunisia, Thailand and Vietnam. It offers flights from every major UK airport through


partnerships with airlines such as SunExpress and Corendon Airlines, as well as the major carriers. Bird said the operator offers keen


prices in line with companies such as On the Beach, loveholidays and Travel Republic. Its target audience is families on a budget or looking for affordable, flexible-duration holidays. Bird said its prices had already


sparked interest in the trade, adding: “Everyone is champing at the bit to get started, especially now they have seen some of the prices.” But she stressed it would take


time to grow the brand in the UK trade. “There will be questions about us and if these prices are for


Average fine for firms found guilty of age discrimination


Steiner agreed there were “a lot of issues” linked to ageism in the current recruitment sector. “I have to challenge a lot of


recruitment choices,” she said, adding: “There is an awful lot of unconscious bias in the workplace. “We should be embracing all


ages in the workplace because we know that a mixed workforce, in age or diversity, benefits businesses.”


She highlighted the wishes of


older employees seeking to continue working but with a lower level of responsibility than before, adding: “A lot of businesses find that hard to get their heads around.” C&M Travel Recruitment


managing director Barbara Kolosinska said older employees had a lot to offer businesses but cited 2024 research by recruitment specialist Hays showing 81% of professionals over the age of 50 felt their chances of securing a role had diminished because of their age. She said: “There is still a lot


of drive, energy, enthusiasm and expertise [among over-50s]. [But] we know that some candidates feel they will be discriminated against.”


Nicky Bird


real. That’s why it’s important to have face-to-face contact or be able to speak to someone,” she said. As well as the deals with the


consortia, the company has a Facebook page with templates for agents to use in marketing. A trade executive and two


business development managers will be recruited to boost its eight-strong sales team and a dedicated trade team is planned at the end of the year. Chief marketing officer John


Milburn left last September after just under two years with the company. He previously worked as homeworking and marketing director at Hays Travel.


travelweekly.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60