NEWS


400 delegates at its biggest event yet. Samantha Mayling reports from ICC Wales in Newport ATAS


‘AI won’t end the need for humans’


T


Delegates bring some safari magic to Newport


to show a brand’s values’


setting the highest standards when it comes to sustainability.” Carol Savage, founder and chief


executive of Not In The Guidebooks, added: “B Corp was about showing that we are doing what we’re saying. We’re not greenwashing. And it was about providing information to agents because 95% of our businesses is with agents.” Brian Young, G Adventures EMEA


managing director, said his company uses “ripple scores” to indicate how much money is retained in destinations, as part of its wider commitment to community tourism.


ouring and adventure sellers can use AI and technology to release staff from mundane


tasks – but employees will always be needed for their human touch, delegates heard. Debbie O’Neill, Jules Verne


managing director, said: “In travel, people want a human connection. “AI can’t feel emotion. It can


mimic emotion [but] you can’t lean into tech all the time. “The future of customer service


is not faster, it’s deeper.” Commenting on chatbots and


AI, she said: “We need to blend tech with empathy so it frees us up to be more human.” Nicki Tempest-Mitchell,


Barrhead Travel managing director, agreed: “With adventure, you’ve got three or four complicated elements of a holiday, so you can’t use chatbots. When things go wrong, there’s nothing better than the human touch. There is a place, though, for tech and AI. “How do we get rid of mundane


tasks for our people to allow them to do what they’re brilliant at, which is selling and servicing our customers?” Nicki Goldsmith, Virgin Atlantic global agency sales


From left: Lucy Huxley, Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, Nicki Goldsmith and Debbie O’Neill


director, noted: “We will use AI behind the scenes to avoid repetitive work. When we look at some back-of-house functions, it will bring huge amounts of value at the point of booking, but we don’t see robots taking over.” Asked about Institute


of Customer Service (ICS) accreditation, O’Neill said Jules Verne has a Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award, and added: “I’d love to see more recognition for human-centred brands.” Tempest-Mitchell noted


Barrhead’s Trustpilot score is 4.9 out of five, adding: “When things do go wrong, just own it, fix it and get the customer happy again.” She did not feel ICS


accreditation was needed for her agency, adding: “Every business has to decide what’s right for them. The last three years have been record- breaking for us. So [not being in ICS] hasn’t impacted business.” Barrhead has invested in


touring and adventure over the past three years, creating ambassadors to “cascade” information throughout the business, and sending agents on more than 40 fam trips to destinations such as Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and India.


RECOGNITION AWARDS 2025


OVERALL WINNER


Touring & Adventure Agency of the Year Hays Travel


NATIONAL CATEGORIES


High Street Agency of the Year Hays Travel


Online/Call Centre Agency of the Year


Travel Club Elite


Homeworking Agency of the Year Travel Counsellors


(Highly commended: InteleTravel)


REGIONAL CATEGORIES Southeast England Fred Olsen Travel


Southwest England Miles Morgan Travel


Northeast England


Dawson & Sanderson Northwest England


Delmar World Travel


Central England Premier Travel


(Highly commended: The Holiday Lounge)


Scotland & Northern Ireland Barrhead Travel


(Highly commended:Murray Travel) Wales


Cartwright Travel SPECIAL CATEGORIES


Touring & Adventure One to Watch Travel Chaps


Expedition Cruise One to Watch Simon Oram, The Travel Shop


Creativity Counts Cartwright Travel (Highly commended:


Heidi Phillips, Designer Travel)


Champion of Change Designer Travel


travelweekly.co.uk


25 SEPTEMBER 2025


11


PICTURES: Steve Dunlop


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