The missive came from Lord Paul Boateng, who addressed the ITT conference in Istanbul on Thursday (16 June) the challenges posed by globalisation and the emergence from the Covid crisis.

The civil rights lawyer, politician and diplomat, who was Labour MP for London’s Brent South constituency from 1987 to 2005 and later British High Commissioner to South Africa, delivered a wide-ranging address broadly on the importance of individuals and businesses playing their part in achieving change on a larger scale.

Asked whether it was feasible that the industry might, one day, get a dedicated minister for outbound travel, Lord Boateng said it was unlikely – and potentially unnecessary.

"It is a reasonable demand, but I wouldn’t hold your breath, frankly," he said. "And even if you got one, I’m not convinced it would be the answer. I think you yourselves, not just collectively through ITT, want to get in there and be activists in a conversation with government and decision-makers."

He said it was important the businesses made a concerted effort to court parliamentarians and legislators, both at home and in the countries where they operate. "Seek as a business to have a relationship with them," he said.

"If you’ve got issues in your business, bother the MP. Don’t just ring them, go and see them at one of their surgeries, put it there in front of them, make it known. Dare to stand alone, to have a purpose, to make it known. Build relationships with the legislators, go and talk to the high commissioners, talk to the ambassador for the country about which you have concerns."

Lord Boateng evoked the words of religious leader Hillel, to whom the quotes "if I am not for me, who will be for me?", "but if I am only for me, what am I?" "if not now, when?", are ascribed.

He said it underlined the importance both of self-reliance and recognition of everyone’s interdependence, as well as "our common humanity and our identity through that shared and common humanity".

"It’s about the importance of action, getting out there and doing business," he said. "I’d say to each and every one of you, if not you – who?"

‘From sentiment to strategy’

Earlier, Lord Boateng said the connectivity provided by the travel industry and the relationships it enabled was the world’s "best hope for peace", adding the roles and opportunities the industry is providing could accelerate opportunities to bolster prosperity and equity around the globe.

"You hold in your hands some of our best hopes globally of mitigating the impact of this current crisis," said Lord Boateng. "We have to move from sentiment to strategy. Creating a better travel and tourism economy isn’t just about favourable infrastructure and pricing."

He said state agencies needed to be part of the conversation, along with environmental groups and multi-national organisations to help the workforce reach its potential. And bringing things back to the UK, Lord Boateng added it was incumbent on the Treasury to encourage and stimulate investment, particularly in infrastructure, and to incentivise partnerships.