When Nicki Tempest-Mitchell took to the stage at the Barrhead Travel conference at the weekend (3 October), she vowed there would be no mention of the C word (that's Covid, for the avoidance of doubt).
But Barrhead boss Tempest-Mitchell's admission that there were things about this year that challenge hers and her team's resolve in ways that even Covid didn't, you can be sure this has been no ordinary year.
It's therefore all the more remarkable that we all came away from stunning Lake Maggiore where the conference was set looking ahead to 2027 with confidence and optimism rather than trepidation.
With an agenda spanning global geopolitics, the seemingly inexorable rise of cruise holidays, stubborn booking trends, accessibility, AI and maximising the power of social media, these are just some of the talking points that will define the year ahead.
'Everyone has risen to the challenge this year'
Barrhead's Managing Director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell set the tone the moment she walked on stage. "There is much to celebrate, but great businesses are built on honesty as well as success, and the truth is that 2026 has tested us."
She highlighted a vast list of challenges, including global uncertainty, rising costs, cost-of-living pressures, technology outages, regulatory changes, fuel prices, the EU Entry-Exit System and also extreme weather, including wildfires, the UK's hottest summer, flooding and low water levels on Europe's rivers. Phew.
"At times this year, it felt like someone looked at the travel industry and thought, 'what else can we throw at them?'," she said. "You have risen to everything 2026 has thrown at us.
"At times, we had to make daily decisions without all the facts we would ideally want. There were long days and nights. It took patience, judgement and resilience right across the business. But the priority was clear – act responsibly and keep customers supported."
'Proud is the word that stands out this year'
Tempest-Mitchell joined Barrhead from Thomas Cook in 2019 on a consultancy basis before going in-house in 2021. She took up the Managing Director role at the start of last year. So what was tougher – Covid or 2026?
"Covid was tough for everybody, but it was cleaner. Everybody's holiday just got cancelled," she said, speaking to TTG. "This year, every month there has been something, we're constantly having to redirect our teams to do right by our customers. People said the Middle East situation would last a week – it didnt. So we've learnt to live with this being the norm.
"Obviously, air traffic control issues, we're not prepared for them. You have to jump in and it's a distraction. We've obviously had low water levels in Europe. We've had floods, we've had wildfires."
She continued: "So I would say personally, I think this has been by far the toughest year [since Covid]. It's probably been tougher for me because I've been leading the business as well, I'm feeling that pace, but our people have been saying those words – what else can be thrown at us this year?
"And I'm not saying these things haven't happened in previous years, but looking at the amount of things that have happened in a short space of time, that's where it's felt like it's been a tougher year.
She added: "Proud is a word that stands out. Everyone just says, what do we need to do? The camaraderie and everyone working together. We've bene pulling on our people a lot. And the last six weeks have definitely felt more normal, and motivation is so high."
Barrhead going into 2027 'with real confidence'
There have been no shortage of positives as well, though. Tempest-Mitchell revealed Barrhead was on course to match 2025 – its "best year ever" – and was going into 2027 with departures running 5% ahead of last year. "It gives us real confidence as we look ahead," she said.
Barrhead's cruise business is up by 8% year-on-year, with touring and adventure up by 29%. She praised travel's big three for ensuring the beach market remained "stable" over the summer, and highlighted the company's performance in a "strong" lates market.
The agency has delivered more than £200,000 in training and development this year, while more than 300 colleagues have gotten away to experience the product they sell first-hand.
Barrhead will launch a consumer-facing app this month, which Tempest-Mitchell said would boost loyalty and repeats, while a new learning platform bringing together skills training, supplier content and product knowledge is in the pipeline.
2027 'full of opportunity'
Dan Steabler, recently appointed Director of Barrhead's managed service and homeworking arm Brilliant Travel, characterised 2026 as a "busy and exciting year", with departures running 6% ahead of 2025 on increased profit per passenger.
Tempest-Mitchell said by the end of Q1 2027, Brilliant will have welcomed four new MSTPs and six homeworkers, doubling the group's turnover. New joiners include The Travel Village Group, which will begin trading with Brilliant next month.
Brilliant members' year-to-date cruise passengers are currently 10% up, cruise sales 12% up and cruise revenue 17% up, while touring and adventure business is up by 29%.
Steabler said while a late booking trend persists, the group had seen "real signs of recovery" from the family market, adding: "2027 is already shaping up to be full of opportunity."
He stressed: "It's a clear indication demand remains strong and that, despite wider economic pressures, travel continues to be a priority for our customers."
Steabler also gave delegates a first glimpse of Brilliant's new logo and branding, and revealed its MSTPs would in future be called Brilliant Travel Partners and homeworkers its Brilliant Travel Specialists.
'Remember, one booking can change everything'
Jacqueline Dobson, president of The Vacation Group, talked delegates through Barrhead's place within US parent Internova Travel Group's hierarchy, and introduced delegates to some of its other leisure brands, including luxury sports travel specialist Roadtrips.
Dobson said dividing her time between the UK and the US had contributed to her gaining a more nuanced view of the two markets, and their slight differences in travel trends.
However, she said there was one trend that stood out, and that was demand for live events – in particular sports tourism, which she described as an increasingly powerful reason to travel.
Sports tourism, she said, is expected to double over the next decade. "To put into context the opportunity we have for sports tourism, Roadtrips have an average booking value of $52,000.
"There are plenty of customers to be found within the UK, who have the means and the desire to spend money on highly curated experiences."
Harking back to the conference's "Reset" them, Dobson said: "I think when we're talking about resetting, we simply have to reset our mindset when it comes to customer acquisitions.
"The impact just one booking of this type could have on your store, your business, your target is profound. Being bold, ambitious and innovative will allow you to find these clients far quicker than you might think."
16% youth unemployment 'completely unacceptable'
Dobson used her address to renew her rallying cry for more to be done locally and nationally to address the state of the high street and make it easier for travel businesses to access apprenticeships.
She said government urgently needed to "up its ambition when it comes to apprenticeships and funding for the development of young people", pointing out youth unemployment has risen to more than 16% this year. "To me, this is completely unacceptable and is surely a wake up call."
Dobson said from her discussions with other business leaders, the issue was not a lack of desire to give young people chances, it was a lack of accessible funding.
"The travel industry is a shining example of what young people can achieve when they have the right opportunity and the right support," said Dobson.
"You just need to look around this room to see how many managers and leaders, myself included, have been able to grow thanks to someone taking a chance on them and allowing them to flourish through blended work and study programmes like apprenticeships.
Revitalising our high streets 'top of my agenda'
Moving on to the state of Britain's high streets, Dobson – who this year became vice-president of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said her question for government was simple – why are one in seven retail units lying empty?
Dobson said the current retail environment wasn't easy, citing soaring costs, more red tape, accessibility challenges and the lack of community investment as "the tip of the iceberg".
"A thriving high street creates jobs, encourages spend and fosters a better sense of community. I will be continuing to ensure these issues are at the top of my agenda."
Earlier, Tempest-Mitchell said new store openings "remain firmly on the agenda" for Barrhead, albeit while conceding the business hadn't moved "as quickly as we wanted" this year.
'The future will be driven by people who can use AI'
Dobson also touched on cybersecurity and AI, warning that owing to the amount of client data the industry holds, the high volume – and value – of the transactions it handles and the fact holidays are among people's most emotional purchases meant travel was "particularly vulnerable" to cyber criminals.
She said by being part of Internova meant Barrhead was able to leverage its cyber defences, which every month block almost 3,000 fraud attempts, including wire and paycheck-redirect scams, 1,200 phishing attacks, more than 1,000 malware-laden emails and 2,200 malicious URLs. Dobson also noted a 900% surge in AI-powered travel scams in the past year.
"You can see just how frequent attacks are on businesses and how much work is involved to block them," she said, adding everyone in Barrhead – from retail to head office – benefits from this.
On AI, Dobson said it will revolutionalise jobs and customer experience, while stressing: "I'm willing to bet the future of travel isn't driven by AI. It will be driven by people who can use AI."
She warned: "I think we are very quickly going to see a huge divide between those who can use AI to their advantage and those who can't," adding: "The human connection remains our greatest competitive advantage, and those who embrace technology will be the ones to thrive."
AI complaints becoming 'a real distraction'
AI was a persistent talking point at the conference, permeating many of the discussions in and outside the conference hall.
In her opening address, Barrhead Managing Director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell said AI developments brought "huge opportunities", as well as new challenges. Namely, "customer complaints that look as though they have been drafted by a solicitor".
"At times, it feels as though everyone has their own legal department at the click of a button, creating a real distraction for our teams," she said.
Her comments, albeit brief, served as a public acknowledgement of an issue many businesses are dealing with, as well as individual agents – some of whom don't have access to the backing of a major company or brand.
Travel Counsellor Marie spoke openly and passionately to TTG just last week about a "draining" experience she had with a client, who was using AI to twist her words and use them against her, likening it to being "gaslit by a robot".
Govt interference and 'unheard of' late demand
EasyJet holidays Chief Executive was another speaker with a strong message for the powers that be. Taking aim at the new Andy Burnham-led Labour government, Wilson accused ministers of "low-level interference" in things like airline charges that are, effectively, performative without working behind the scenes on structural support for the industry.
He said the government's approach to travel was too often "one step forward, two steps back" and urged Burnham and his team "to put their money where their mouth is".
Narrowing in on Air Passenger Duty, he said: "You can't say, 'we know how important your holiday is but we're going to tax the hell out of it'. It's either important or not to them."
Wilson also called for coordinated efforts across the industry to address the stubborn late booking trend that has persisted post-Covid and has been exacerbated this year by the conflict in the Middle East and subsequent fuel price crisis.
He said easyJet saw an "immediate slowing down of demand across the board" following the US and Israel's strikes on Iran, adding that demand has just continued to get later and later. "That late demand has stuck. It's still very late.
"When I look at the sales this week or last week, about 20% of our sales are for departures in the next 30 days, which is unheard of. It's not good for the industry to have it so late. I think we all collectively need to really think as the year finishes how we pull forward the sales and get turn of year back to being a really exciting time for customers."
Five Barrhead AI projects in the pipeline
Unsurprisingly, AI got it own dedicated session, which was led by Casey Soto, who heads up Internova's AI centre of excellence. Echoing Dobson's view on AI, Soto moved to reassure delegates: "AI is not coming for your job – it's coming for the parts of it you hate."
Soto revealed Internova was currently working on 24 live AI initiatives, with six goals, including "make every advisor the best one", "take the admin off the desk", "one platform, not 40 tools" and "turn demand into booked trips".
Five Barrhead Travel AI projects are currently in the pipeline – call performance monitoring, building better AI search and chat into Barrhead's internal Nevis platform, vouchers and cruise admin email automation, supplier confirmation and ticket matching, and working around UK price transparency rules.
On the voucher point specifically, Soto said advisors were currently dealing with around 6,000 a week, which are all currently being handled manually.
Solutions include AI scoring on every call judged against a quality framework, AI email handling at scale that reads, classifies and drafts email responses with a person confirming the exceptions, and working towards one, single, compliant total price that normalises "fragmented" supplier data.
Internova's centre of excellence is offering 10 AI scholarships available to anyone within the organisation, including agents, with no "seniority bar" or specific entry criteria. The aim, Soto said, is to promote AI upskilling and encourage colleagues to think creatively about potential uses for AI.
'The algorithm can't copy your people'
It was left to Trending Travel Managing Director Kieran Shew to bring proceedings to a close on an energetic and positive note, sharing with delegates the vast opportunities that still remain for agents to tap travel demand driven by social media.
Shew, citing Expedia data, said more than 60% of consumers now consider social media as a travel inspiration tool, up from 35% in 2023, while 59% of UK TikTok users who booked after discovering a destination on the platform did so within a week. He said the gap between people researching things and booking them was becoming much shorter, stressing agents needed to be part of that inspiration conversation.
Shew said while not everyone needs to be a so-called influencers, agents should think about who the right people are in their businesses to be "useful participants", adding "employee generated content" was quickly becoming the biggest trend on social media for brands. "The algorithm can copy your deals, it can't copy your people."
He ran through some dos and don'ts – don't put your logo on everything, don't overdo the production and don't chase every trend, pick the ones that suit your business. Do spotlight people with real expertise, answer genuine needs and questions, and stay conversational. "Useful, human and specific trumps polished and generic," he advised.
Shew concluded with a list of social media content ideas agents can use tomorrow, including "If I had £2,000...", "Three mistakes to avoid...", "Meet the expert...", "Customers keep asking..." and "What just landed on my desk...?". He added agents should dip into comments on their social media for inspiration, and turn @s in new videos to keep the conversation going.
No third runway = more regional flying?
Peter Vlitas, Internova's Executive Vice-President of Partner Relations, made a forceful case for a third runway at Heathrow owing to slot restrictions, speaking on an aviation panel featuring Nicki Goldsmith, Virgin Atlantic's Global Director of Agency Sales, and Leanne McGowan, Barrhead's Head of Air and Ticketing.
However, this quickly segued into a plea for more regional flying, led by McGowan, who said: "Slots at Heathrow cost a fortune. So my advice would be to encourage more regional flying, invest more in Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh because we are flying consistently via other hubs." Once the applause had died down, she added: "It's not that people in the North and Scotland aren't flying, they are, they're just flying via other destinations."
Goldsmith said Dobson, a member of Virgin Atlantic's leisure advisory board, had long been banging the drum for more airlift coming out of Scotland and getting more regional services. "We've also got cruise line partners on there [the board] who are advocating and helping us build business cases to support it [more regional flying]," said Goldsmith. "We're looking at it really closely.
"In real terms, if Heathrow is constrained in terms of slots, we're going to have to grow regionally. Once we have more aircraft coming online, and we're planning for the next five years, we're going to have to start thinking about where else we can grow out of."
