Abta

Baldwins Travel's appeal to have Abta membership reinstated ends in failure

Baldwins has lost its appeal against its expulsion from Abta after the association’s members’ committee ruled the agency had ’failed to provide the financial information required of them as an Abta member’

Six things that agents can do right now to strive for a better industry

Water scarcity, nature positive tourism and the hidden carbon footprint of IT operations were themes that emerged from Abta’s Sustainable Travel Conference

Abta LifeLine reveals it wrote off £78,000 in debt for travel staff last year

Abta’s charity arm, Abta LifeLine, helps travel professionals who are struggling financially to pay their debts

Abta launches free AI helpline to help members use technology correctly

The helpline will provide 30-minute sessions on a wide range of topics such as AI risk, ethical guidelines and fairness

Celebrity, Silversea, Sani-Ikos: all the latest travel trade people moves

Moves this week see Celebrity Cruises restructure its senior management team, while there have been high-profile retirements at Silversea and Fred Olsen Travel

Abta reinstates Baldwins Travel membership as agency appeals expulsion

Baldwins Travel has had its Abta membership reinstated pending an appeal after the association began an investigation into its finances

Abta terminates Baldwins Travel's membership after agency 'failed to provide required financial information'

Association’s membership committee resolves to terminate southeast agency’s membership with ’immediate effect’, although its consortium the Advantage Travel Partnership tells TTG Baldwins remains a member ’as it stands’

Royal Caribbean, AmaWaterways, Ambassador Cruise Line: all the latest travel trade people moves

Moves this week see a top-selling agent for Royal Caribbean join the line, while AmaWaterways and Ambassador Cruise Line have also shaken up their trade operations in the UK and Ireland

Tui's new UK and Ireland chief Neil Swanson joins Abta board

Swanson, who was named Tui managing director UK&I in September, joins board at ’exciting time for the travel industry’

Parliament to debate youth mobility bill following Abta intervention

It follows a 69% decline in UK nationals working in the EU in the five years following the Brexit referendum

Former Abta regional liaison officer Doug Weston dies aged 87

Weston’s career in travel started in the 1960s with Norwich-based regional carrier Air Anglia. He also worked for Anglia Holidays and Pickfords, and ran his own UK holidays agency in Norwich before joining Abta in 1986

Abta's annual profits jump by more than 50% despite slight decline in membership

Abta saw profits leap by over 50% in the last financial year, the latest annual report reveals, with no member failures in the 12 months

Danny Waine launches consultancy to help travel entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground

Travel Nomads, which has been set up by former Abta head of membership Danny Waine, will offer a suite of services to agents, operators and businesses throughout the wider travel and tourism eco-system

10 'destinations to watch' that could sate your clients' wanderlust this year

An overlooked tropical paradise, a compact safari sensation and one of Italy’s "best kept secrets" have been named among the top destinations agents and consumers should look out for in 2025

New Year Honours for Abta destinations chief and responsible tourism pioneer

Abta’s head of destinations Angie Hills made MBE in the King’s New Year Honours, with Responsible Travel founder Justin Francis awarded OBE

Travel's plea to make youth mobility 'a priority' lands with nearly 30 MPs

Some 28 MPs attended a drop-in event at parliament hosted by Abta and UKinbound, part of their ongoing advocacy campaign to highlight the importance of improving youth mobility between the UK and Europe in the absence of posted working post-Brexit

The rise of rail and 'coolcations', and why agents will have to 'work for it' in 2025

Reflections on a strong but challenging 2024, a disappointing Budget and demand for cooler climes were some of the debates waged in the final Agenda 2024 seminar hosted by TTG and PwC

Video: Watch as Peta activist interrupts Abta event to protest Tui

Nathan Stower, Tui UK and Ireland’s head of public policy, was speaking as part of a panel at Abta’s Travel Matters conference in London on Tuesday when a Peta protester took to the stage – the second time in a month Tui’s stance has been protested at a major event

Outbound travel now contributing more to UK economy than pre-pandemic

Outbound travel’s contribution to UK PLC now exceeds that of pre-pandemic, new figures from Abta estimate

Abta names Danny Waine's successor and new board members

Roberto Balasco will join the trade body from Kenwood Travel on 13 January. In his new role, he will support Abta members and help drive the association’s membership strategy

8 top travel trends agents need to know for 2025

Which destinations are in vogue, how far in advance are consumers booking, and will AI take our jobs: just a few of the discussion points at Abta’s Travel Trends conference.

Who should be responsible for policing professional standards in travel?

Most respondents to a recent TTG poll agreed agents new to the industry need training, but what form should it take and should someone certify it?

Third of holidaymakers looking to travel pros for inspiration – Abta

New data from Abta’s 2024/25 Holiday Habits research highlights how consumers value not just agents and operators’ service and support, but their ’extensive knowledge’

'Nature is a big part of the holiday experience; we must take steps to preserve it'

’It’s important nature is supported and biodiversity is restored so it can continue its important role tackling global warming, and travel has a really big role to play in supporting this work," writes Abta head of sustainability Carol Rose for TTG