ITT’s decision to book Hancock for the event in Qatar in June attracted a swathe of industry criticism when it was announced last week, given the ex-minister’s role in helping to create Covid travel restrictions that caused widespread disruption and damage to the sector.
Pressure mounted further after leaked WhatsApp messages from Hancock and government colleagues as part of The Telegraph’s Lockdown Files revealed him joking about hotel quarantine and slamming airlines’ conduct during the pandemic.
Speaking to TTG, Freudmann confirmed Hancock was no longer invited to the Doha conference, admitting he had become “a major distraction” for the event and insisting ITT “didn’t want Hancock to become the story”.
“We wanted him to come and face the music and ask him whether he recognised the damage he had caused the travel industry with his decisions and, frankly, wanted to know if he had any regrets and thought any lessons had been learnt,” said Freudmann.
“Clearly he doesn’t have many friends in the travel industry; we recognised that when we engaged him, but we thought it would be a good opportunity to grill him on some of the dreadful decisions he made.
“However, he has become a major distraction from one of the most exciting conference programmes we’ve ever put together and we didn’t want Hancock to be the story. We have over 25 wonderful speakers and Hancock clearly was becoming a major distraction and not something we were happy about.”
Freudmann said cancelling Hancock’s appearance “is the right decision”, adding how the Lockdown Files released last week had been “the catalyst” in dropping him from the event.
“[The messages] have revealed insights into the Hancock thinking that are very upsetting and very frustrating for the industry given the damage that was caused. The WhatsApp revelations were the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
Freudmann added: “I was never a fan of him personally and was hoping to find out if he would admit the mistakes he made that caused so much damage to the industry.
“I’m sorry to a certain extent that we won’t be able to ask him those questions but given the strength of feeling, we know we have made the right decision.”
