Opinion

What's driving the resurgent M&A interest in the travel sector?

After the travel industry was forced to all-but shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic, Houlihan Lokey director Thomas Barnard explores the factors driving the industry’s resurgence – and renewed interest in its prospects

'Can your business really afford NOT to seek a quality mark like B Corp?'

To B Corp or not to B Corp? Writing for TTG, We Are Llama’s John Pritchard weighs up the pros and cons for travel of seeking B Corp certification as the standard becomes more common

'When chaos reigns, why is it always tour operators left picking up the pieces?'

Summer has only just begun, but already, consumers have experienced severe travel disruption – and tour operators are bearing the brunt of the knock-on effects, writes Aito executive director Martyn Sumners for TTG

'Travel needs more visible male allies to play their part'

The case for an inclusive and sustainable industry is plan and simple for everyone to see, writes Women in Travel CIC founder and managing director Alessandra Alonso ahead of the International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum and Awards later this month

Party manifestos – what should we expect for travel?

Abta’s Luke Petherbridge outlines what the travel industry should expect - or not - from party manifestos forming the state of play for the upcoming general election

'This is how you create a culture of care in the workplace'

Creating safe spaces to talk and listen might not incur any more cost than teabags and biscuits, but could mean the world to someone that needs to air an issue.

Advantage chief: 'Travel must come together behind a single aim'

‘During Covid, many industry leaders talked about never wanting to be in the same position again should there be another crisis – so where are we now, and what have we learned?’ asks Julia Lo Bue-Said

'The Balearics street drinking rules are a classic government own goal – and totally unworkable'

’Local police in San Antonio have enough to do over a busy summer tackling real crime; these headlines paint a picture of swat teams swooping on innocent tourists sipping a can of beer in the evening heat,’ writes Ibiza local Martin Makepeace for TTG

'We're putting agents at the heart of our Eurovision partnership'

Royal Caribbean International expects to host around 100 agents at Eurovision in Malmo this week; vice-president EMEA Ben Bouldin tells TTG why the partnership was the perfect opportunity to get the trade involved

'More and more agents are concerned about sustainability in tourism'

Ahead of Abta’s Delivering Sustainable Travel Conference on 15 May, head of events Sulamith Waldmeier offers a flavour of what to expect on the day - from overtourism to the ’say-do’ debate

'Agents have to work harder to show Google their content is truly valuable – here's how'

Google’s algorithm change means agents have to work harder to show the search engine that their content is truly valuable, writes We Are Llama’s Mags Sikora for TTG

'We've moved the dial on youth mobility – it's vital to travel's future talent pipeline'

Any failure by the UK government to negotiate a youth mobility framework with the EU risks turning off the industry’s future talent pipeline, Abta’s director of public affairs Luke Petherbridge writes for TTG

'MS won’t mean the end of my love affair with travel'

Jason Winter is TTG’s campaign marketing manager. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in August 2022. Ahead of MS Awareness Week (22-28 April), Jason shares his MS journey, and why he can’t wait to get back to one of his great loves – travel

'How agents can recognise the signs of "Holiday Head" in their clients'

Holiday Head makes us open to new experiences, cultures and people – but it can have a darker side, Safer Tourism Foundation chief executive Kathy Atkinson writes for TTG

The Homeworker: 'I'm living my best life now I've returned to travel'

Emma Gibson started out in travel in the 1980s aged 14, but while the skills she learned stood her in good stead during a varied career, it wasn’t until she returned to the industry last year she finally found balance – and fulfilment

‘It's a win – but we're still short-changing the people of Sri Lanka’

After leading a successful campaign to have the Foreign Office soften its travel advice for Sri Lanka, Experience Travel Group chief executive Sam Clark tells TTG why he believes so strongly in the country’s cause – and why there is still more to push for

The Homeworker: 'Please – don't call me a homeworker!'

One-time TTG UK and Ireland Travel Agent of the Year, Jo Shayler-Tarrant, gets something important off her chest in TTG’s latest Homeworker column

How can agents plan ahead to ride out the next inevitable crisis?

We Are Llama’s Phil Bloomfield looks at how industry marketers in the industry can face up to – and get ahead of – the inevitable unpredictability that travel faces

‘Travel's voice has been heard, but don't expect too much from Wednesday's Budget’

Abta’s director of public affairs, Luke Petherbridge, looks ahead to Wednesday’s Budget – the last before a general election

'Celebrities can shine a light on the fragility of sensitive destinations'

Expedition Cruise Network chair Martin Johnson hails Susan Calman’s voyage to Antarctica with Scenic, and says it could serve as a model for travel to promote its offer alongside its responsible tourism and sustainability credentials

'Bali's new tourist levy is another opportunity for agents to shine'

Pata chair UK and Ireland, Chris Crampton, tells TTG that while the £7.50pp fee will ultimately be an annoyance, it’s a chance for agents to demonstrate their expertise and service

‘We must keep on increasing our wages to secure talent’

C&M Travel Recruitment managing director Barbara Kolosinska on why the travel industry needs to increase salaries if it wants to create any kind of talent pipeline for the industry for future years.

‘Be like Bev and Trev and build your businesses on stone, not sticks and straw’

Once upon a time, Bev and Trev ran a travel agency. When a global pandemic hit, they rolled up their sleeves and worked all hours to look after their customers – this is their story

Should agents have a share of the TV ad spotlight with supplier partners?

Should travel brands include travel agents in their calls to action among their advertising? Heath Heise from We are Llama takes a look at the benefits and drawbacks