Advantage CEO Cautions Against Trading Euphoria, Harming Lobbying

Julia Lo Bue-Said, the CEO of Advantage Travel Partnership, said that the travel industry's excitement about positive sales may hinder their efforts to get government assistance.

She spoke at the conference in Benidorm. She told everyone that the consortium wants to make sure people understand how important the travel industry is. They are still very committed to this goal.

A government official said they were surprised travel agents still existed according to the woman.

She said it's not a new thing. Letting people who think like that run the country is not acceptable.

We made progress in the past year. It's a long journey. We are getting more involved politically. This helps us work together to influence and engage. We can make strong representations. We are preparing for the next crisis. By collaborating more, we build strong foundations for UK outbound travel.

Lo Bue-Said said we need to push the government to appreciate outbound travel. Consumer spending on travel hasn't gone down despite interest rates going up. Advantage's OnePoll survey of 2,000 adults found that a third of them plan to take two holidays this year.

She warned that the travel industry's strength may be perceived as a weakness. If we focus too much on positive trading, government support could be neglected.

We might have a government that makes choices based on elections instead of business needs. A general election is approaching, so there's a risk. We want to continue championing the industry with politicians and policy makers.

The consortium teamed up with Aito last year to make a lobbying group. This boosts the industry's reputation. They also made a group of advisers, led by members. They launched a toolkit to help members talk to their MPs.

She said that the industry should engage more in politics. During Covid, the industry was not taken care of. She thinks more needs to happen to change that. If there is another crisis, the industry needs to be taken care of.

We need to invest more in our efforts. Otherwise, we'll be left behind once more. Sectors like pubs and theatres will receive attention, but we won't. It's crucial that we and our partners act now.

We still aim to make sure that the industry is seen as an important contributor to the economy.