A panel of experts will discuss the subject during the online event, entitled “The future of loyalty in tourism: What are we learning from the COVID-19 crisis?” on 27 May.

It will offer practical insights into how the virus is shaping technology strategies within the travel industry and will cover refund policies, payments, new technology, customer experience and cybersecurity.

The webinar will be moderated by Paul Richer, who is a senior partner at travel technology consultancy Genesys Digital Transformation.

Panellists will include Advantage Travel Partnership’s leisure director Kelly Cookes who joined the travel agency consortium in October 2019 after spending most of her career with Thomas Cook.

Entrepreneur Maksim Izmaylov, who is currently chief executive of blockchain-based travel distribution platform Winding Tree, will also be on the panel alongside Petya Milkova, head of business development for Germany-based payments specialist Wirecard.

Richard Gayle, Travel Forward’s event manager, said: “Customer loyalty will be an even bigger issue for travel companies as the market adjusts to the impact of Covid-19.

“Our three guests are leading the field when it comes to using tech to build and maintain a loyal base of customers, while our moderator has the experience to keep the conversations on topic and make sure that webinar attendees will come away with some new insights and fresh ideas.”

The webinar takes place on 27 May at 2pm and can be accessed through the WTM Global Hub.