Conference 2021
CONFERENCE Atas Conference 2021: A record 350-plus delegates attend the Association
Atas members urged to ‘get on the front foot’ for peaks
A
gents were told to expect a strong peaks period as the touring and adventure sector
continues to bounce back from the pandemic. Liam Race, Leger Shearings
Group chief executive, said his company is focused on educating agents as travel recovers, so they are prepared for the traditionally busy sales period around New Year. “I feel it will be a big peaks; it may
not be at 2019 levels but January and February will be strong,” he said. “[Covid] case numbers are
rising, which could affect things, but over the past 14 weeks we have had consistent trading.” He said the operator will launch
a TV advertising campaign on December 20 that will reference agents and it will also start a campaign with the Daily Mail. “We are investing heavily in
marketing,” he told delegates. Phil Hullah, Riviera Travel chief
executive, said his company will be “on the front foot with marketing messages”. The messages will “fundamentally be about the holiday destination”, he added. He also highlighted how the role
of agents is becoming even more important amid the complexity of overseas travel, commenting: “Customers value that experience, advice and support.” Zina Bencheikh, Intrepid Travel
EMEA managing director, said while there are rising economic concerns, her customers have not been as badly hit financially during the pandemic as those in other sectors. Race agreed, saying Leger
Shearings’ over-60s target market was not seeing money pressures yet. Hullah said a “small silver lining” from the pandemic was the popularity of new UK tours, which
many Riviera customers are booking in addition to overseas holidays. Atas chairman Brian Young,
G Adventures’ EMEA managing director, told delegates: “We are no longer niche operators. This is a grown-up sector going places and fast. “We will grow so, as agents, you
need to get on the front foot. “Our style of travel plays perfectly
into the evolving nature of traveller behaviour.” Robertina Tompa, Mail Metro
Media travel account manager, told the conference about the positive findings of a survey carried out by the media group among 700 of its readers. She said: “Spending on big-ticket
items is in flux; however, travel remains strong and people are booking longer-duration holidays. “Changes in regulations have
increased confidence and will encourage more to book.”
Liam Race Green credentials ‘not taken into account by 47% of consumers’
Operators are forging ahead with sustainable initiatives, despite research showing that green credentials are considered by fewer than half of consumers when booking. Mail Metro Media presented research conducted
among 700 readers of the group’s newspapers, such as the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph. The poll found that 47% agreed “it is important to
know that travelling to a destination is benefiting the local communities/places that I am visiting”. However, the same proportion, 47%, agreed with the statement that “any concerns I may have about the environmental impact of holidays would not stop me taking a holiday I really wanted to go on”. Robertina Tompa, Mail Metro Media travel account
manager, said: “Sustainability is an important talking point but not the first point when you’re generating bookings – but it will convert with repeat customers.”
12 28 OCTOBER 2021 Zina Bencheikh, Intrepid Travel’s EMEA managing
director, said the operator had high repeat bookings because customers saw the benefits of community-based tourism during their touring holidays. She said: “We’ve got to do something; we are taking
the risk of not having a healthy planet. It is about futureproofing our industry.” Liam Race, Leger Shearings Group chief executive,
said his company is planning battery-powered coaches. “A lot of our fleet will be powered by electricity over
the next five years,” he said. ● The conference heard from charity Give A Vaccine,
which is urging people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to donate the cost of a vaccine for those in developing countries, where vaccination programmes are lagging behind. For details of how to donate, visit
giveavaccine.com.
Sam Conway and Robertina Tompa, Mail Metro Media
travelweekly.co.uk
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