CONFERENCE Advantage Conference 2025: About 400 consortium members, suppliers and bu


Advantage chief says sector ‘great at reimagining itself’


T


he industry must keep a “watching brief” but demand for travel continues to rise despite


current geopolitical uncertainty, the Advantage Travel Partnership conference has been told. Referring to instability caused


by the war in the Middle East, supply chain issues and US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, industry leaders said the sector was accustomed to uncertainty. Airlines UK chief executive Tim


Alderslade admitted that travel to the US market looked “a bit tricky”, but urged: “Let’s keep a watching brief. It’s disconcerting, but it’s not like we haven’t been here before.” He added: “We will always


adapt; we can move capacity around. It’s unstable; we don’t know what the next six to 12 months will look like. We need to take quite a significant watching brief, but in most markets demand is going up.” Advantage chief executive Julia


People are not


going to not travel. Unpredictable times are difficult, but we are great at adapting


Lo Bue-Said agreed: “The industry is great at reimagining itself. People are not going to not travel. Unpredictable times are difficult for business leaders, but we are great at adapting.” She was confident the US tariffs


would soon become a “blip” for the sector. “We are impacted [by tariffs] but it will just be another thing we have dealt with. Will it put people off travelling? I don’t think so,” she said. However, Oli Winton, senior


managing director at FTi Consulting, said financial institutions needed stability to make decisions. Speaking about the likelihood of US tariffs becoming a “distant memory” soon, he said: “The constant change is


worse than a higher tax rate. I don’t see how we will not be discussing it in a month’s time.” John Sullivan, Advantage


commercial director, said the US continued to be one of the most popular long-haul destinations across the consortium’s membership, despite “nervousness around the political dynamics” in the country. But he revealed more customers


were choosing alternative destinations based on the belief they would get better value elsewhere. Sullivan said: “I feel really


optimistic [about the late-booking market]. You never know what is going to happen in the world, but I think everything suggests that people are cutting other things out. That doesn’t mean they are looking for cheap holidays.” He said average selling prices


during peaks were up 13% year on year, adding: “More travellers are opting for all-inclusive holidays, which offer better value and clearer budgeting.”


TikTok offers ‘quick and easy way to reach new customers’


TikTok is an “untapped gold mine” and a cost-effective marketing tool for travel agents to reach a wider audience, Advantage Travel Partnership members were told. Heath Michael Heise, director


and co-founder of travel marketing specialist Llama, urged agents to use the social media platform as part of their marketing strategy. “You should think about


using TikTok to reach a wider audience,” he said. “It’s quick, easy to use to


produce videos, and cheap. It’s focused on authenticity – [viewers]


10 22 MAY 2025


want content that’s real – and you don’t need a huge following to have cut-through. Travel is by far the biggest search term [by TikTok site users].” More than 70% of European


Heath Michael Heise


TikTok users are likely to book holidays based on recommendations they have seen on the website, he added. Heise said 82% of the platform’s


users consider new destinations as a result of TikTok content, 69% discover new travel brands and 37% save travel content on the website for future trips, although not many people currently use the platform to book holidays.


Consortium extols agent


The Advantage Travel Partnership is aiming for a 300% rise in travel agency searches on its new website over the next 12 months, following the rollout of the new-look site as part of its rebrand (Travel Weekly, May 15). The site includes an enhanced search


facility for consumers to find a travel agent. The consortium previously offered a similar search facility, but the new tool is more intuitive and makes it easier for consumers to find their nearest leisure or corporate agent based on specialist requirements. Marketing director David Forder said: “This is a completely new website. Our


Tim Alderslade


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