A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Conference guests embody trade resolve
Last week we held our Future of Travel Conference at the offices of our long-term partner Google in central London (pages 4-6). The day itself was the culmination of many months of hard work and planning, with some of the industry’s biggest names scheduled to attend and speak. So you can imagine how we felt when the RMT union announced plans to take industrial action and bring the London Underground to a standstill in the week it was due to take place. We considered various options, including streaming the event, taking it online-only and even cancelling altogether. But after canvassing speakers and attendees, we decided to press ahead. As it turned out, that was undoubtedly the correct decision, with a capacity audience of more than 140 senior leaders making alternative travel plans to attend.
While this story of our logistical challenges may seem a touch indulgent, it ties in neatly with a
recurring theme of the day, which was the industry’s need to navigate challenging circumstances. As you would expect, there was hard-hitting debate about the sector’s prospects, and nobody sugar-coated the outlook in the face of headwinds ranging from geopolitical unrest to the Autumn Budget and difficulties in making accurate capacity forecasts in a late-booking market. But there was also a bullish feel to the discussions. As we heard from an array of incredible speakers, it felt surreal to think the event was in doubt just days before. Thank you to all those who attended – and demonstrated the resilience which can give us all confidence for the future.
Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS NEWS front COVER
Garry Wilson, Dame Irene Hays and Neil Swanson at T
ravel Weekly’s Future of Travel Conference page 4-5
Photos: Alex Maguire Photography
‘Bosses are AI weakest link, not staff’ 4 Experts question need for Atol reform 4 Value messages key in ‘tough’ market 5 Dnata UK ‘excited’; Riviera solo ‘first’ 6 Ponant closes on Atol; Celestyal Travel 8 comment
Jacqueline Dobson: Agents in demand 12
NEWS YOU CAN USE Product Just Go, Fred Holidays, Jet2, easyJet 15 Ramble Worldwide, Riviera Travel
Intrepid, G Adventures, Cox & Kings 18 Swan Hellenic, Ponant, Azamara
16 20
AE Expeditions, Aranui, Tauck, Emerald 22
FRONTLINE agent diary
Andrea Smith: I fell for the Victoria Falls 28 a day with... Arundel Travel, Otley: store stands out on high street 30
FRONT COVER AND THIS PAGE: Universal Orlando Resort; Shutterstock/Robert Harding Video,
Balate.Dorin; Steve Dunlop
travelweekly.co.uk FOLLOW US: @travelweekly close-up
Tipto, Hays Travel, Fred Olsen Travel 32 competitions Maldives stay, stylish suitcase, cruise 38
DESTINATIONS the US
San Francisco: From the Golden Gate Bridge to beatnik cafes, encourage clients to explore the city’s diverse delights
WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK
OHosted our eighth annual Future of Travel Conference at Google’s London office with some of the biggest names in travel on the speaker line-up.
OWrote scripts and researched the speakers I’m interviewing at the Atas Conference at the ICC Wales this week.
OPicked up all my windfalls, made an apple crumble and distributed the rest to some of my neighbours!
42
Orlando: Brace yourself for Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 49 Festive breaks
Christmas in Tenerife: The Canary island offers stacks of festive cheer but without the cold weather of home 54
BUSINESS NEWS
BTA calls on TMCs to show their value 62 DfT Business Travel Survey:
travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 18 SEPTEMBER 2025 3
›Poll reveals sector’s trends in 2024 63 Abta 2025 preview: ‘Avoid AI slop’ 64
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 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
