July/August 2024
www.nitravelnews.com
UK Outbound Group to Host Industry-Wide Meeting to Address Political Engagement Opportunities Post Election
THE UK Outbound Group, led by Advantage, AITO and ABTOT has written to industry leaders inviting them to attend an industry-wide meeting to discuss the sector’s political engagement strategy post-election. The meeting is to be held at the Group’s Westminster Public Affairs consultancy – FTI Consulting – in central London and invites have been sent to industry leaders across the UK. The meeting is to take place on Monday 16 September 2024.
Speaking on behalf of the UK Outbound Group, Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO, The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “With the furore of a general election gripping the country, one could easily be under the impression that now is the time when the main parties unveil supportive measures that recognise the significance of the UK Outbound Travel sector. Needless to say, there is very little recognition of the economic importance of the sector in any of the main party manifestos. “We are hosting this meeting of industry leaders to discuss our ongoing efforts to increase political attention on the UK Outbound Travel sector. The experience of the pandemic demonstrated that political understanding of how our industry works is poor with the consequence that the particular dynamics of our sector were completely
overlooked when the Government was putting in place support packages. “Over the last two years, we have – as part of the UK Outbound Travel Lobbying Group – advocated effectively on behalf of the sector and amplified the voice of our industry to politicians and policymakers across all major political parties. “Our advocacy work has been supported by FTI Consulting, who have assisted us in making considerable progress in our ambition to ensure recognition for our members and their vital contributions to the UK. For example, the UK Outbound Group’s MP Engagement Programme, whereby we arrange for constituency MPs to visit their local travel businesses, has hosted almost 50 MPs within the last nine months, and allowed us to build strong relationships with key Government ministers, MPs and policymakers. “With the impending election, we now believe it is vital for us to step up our activity to ensure that the travel industry receives the recognition and support it deserves as a vital economic contributor. It will be an opportunity to discuss the Group’s progress to date, reflect on the results of the General Election, what this means for our work, the funding required to accelerate progress and the opportunities to expand our activity.”
CLIA UNVEILS UK & IRELAND CRUISE WEEK 2024 DATES AND ACTIVITIES
CLIA has confirmed this year’s UK & Ireland Cruise Week will take place from September 16-22. The annual event will see a host of trade-friendly activities and initiatives, supported by consumer outreach, throughout the seven days. Cruise Week will this year focus on the #DiscoverMore destination theme, which was also a feature across CLIA’s main conference in May, allowing the industry to showcase cruise destinations as well as the experiences available in port. CLIA will use the week to share information and insights on destinations though expert interviews, webinars and live broadcasts. It will also work with its member cruise lines to bring trade incentives, offers and news, supported by a host of social media activities with shareable content and a focus on a different daily destination.
CLIA will host its Destination Showcase in Gibraltar during the week, to further
engage agents in destination experiences. More details will be announced shortly, with registration for the event opening on July 3. Andy Harmer, CLIA managing director for UK & Ireland, said: “We’re very excited to announce this year’s CLIA Cruise Week, as it will once again present the ideal opportunity for agents to capitalise on the momentum we’re seeing across all sectors of the industry. The destination focus was a real hit during CLIA Conference, with agents able to use their new-found insight and expertise to further aid cruise sales, so we’re looking forward to further enhancing their know-how in September. “We’re encouraging agents to stay tuned via social media and our other communications platforms, so they can generate even more interest, enquiries and bookings during Cruise Week and beyond.” For more information, visit
cruising.org
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