CONFERENCE Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers Conference 2024: More than 400


Atas suppliers urge agents to specialise in the sector


T


ouring and adventure bosses hailed the importance of agents – but want more agencies to


specialise in the sector to support operators’ growth ambitions. Mark Hanson, Audley Travel UK


managing director, said: “Audley was direct at first, now we’re engaging more with the trade. It’s different from 20 years ago. The level of expertise in the agent sector has seen a step change.” He said the tailor-made touring


specialist has this year experienced double-digit growth in bookings and sales volumes for most destinations. Simon Applebaum, managing


director of Gold Medal, parent of the Incredible Journeys touring brand, also reported growth, with a wider range of destinations and longer durations. He aims to grow the touring


brand from a £20 million business to I visit about 20-30


agents in the spring, but don’t see enough touring experts or touring in the windows


one turning over £50-£100 million. “We need to excite the trade,”


Applebaum said, noting the average booking for tour-and-stay or tour- and-cruise is more than £10,000. “Travel agents can add value and


touring seems more resilient than other sectors.” But he added: “We want more


agents to be specialists in touring and adventure. I visit about 20-30 agencies in the spring, but don’t see enough touring experts or touring in the windows. The touring and adventure sector is also under- represented in social media.”


Niel Alobaidi, chief executive of


Newmarket Holidays, told delegates how the recent private equity investment in the operator had demonstrated the perceived growth potential of the escorted tours sector. Commenting on trends, he


said holidaymakers are seeking more diverse destinations such as Uzbekistan and Indonesia. “We talk to the trade a lot; it


helps us find new destinations, such as South African safaris and Japan. The trade also gets behind early sales,” said Alobaidi. “We are also seeing more add-ons and longer durations. “There are tons of opportunities


in the over-55 sector – it is the fastest- growing segment,” he added. “It is the least affected by money worries and there is more demand.” Alobaidi also said Newmarket


Holidays plans to unveil a new trade website in the coming weeks.


Intrepid boss: Touring and adventure is no longer a niche


Touring and adventure has become a “trendy” and “sexy” part of travel, according to James Thornton, chief executive of Intrepid Travel. He recalled how interest has grown


over the past 20 years, telling agents: “We should feel incredibly bullish about the future of touring and adventure. “What we do is no longer a niche – it’s


the way people should travel in the future.” Thornton added: “One-third of the industry utterly


believes in sustainable travel; one-third want to do it but don’t know how; and one-third are burying their head in the sand. We’re taking steps, but not quickly enough. But it’s changing; more people in the middle third are taking more action now.” He noted that travel boosts overseas economies,


10 24 OCTOBER 2024 James Thornton


and stressed the importance of low-carbon alternatives to flying, such as rail. Thornton also highlighted a “loneliness


epidemic”, saying nearly six in 10 adults in the UK feel lonely. “Touring and adventure can be the


antidote to loneliness,” he added. Thornton said agents can tackle these crises with the help of Intrepid publications


such as How to be a champion of change and its guides to decarbonisation and animal welfare. And he urged companies not to compete on sustainability, saying it should be a “hallmark of all travel”. “It is incumbent on us to influence the whole


industry,” he said. “Collectively, we do have solutions. If more people travel in our low-impact, community- centred style of travel, it will help tackle these problems.”


From left: Mark Hanson, Niel Alobaidi and Simon Applebaum, with moderator Lucy Huxley


Delegates enjoy a Barbados- themed evening reception


Community tourism ‘has powe


Touring and adventure specialists can help tackle poverty, overtourism and climate problems, despite the impact of emissions, speakers claimed. Brian Young, EMEA managing


director at G Adventures, said: “There’s a lot of focus on the negatives; we need to balance that out with positives such as community tourism, which has the power to change people’s lives. We couldn’t do that if we did not travel.” G Adventures uses ‘ripple’


scores to show the money that stays within local communities. It also operates a ‘Trees for Days’


travelweekly.co.uk


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