Before I sit down with Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said, I quickly check the news.
It's Wednesday (13 May), it's about 11am here in Spain, and Donald Trump's trip to China seems to have booted prime minister Keir Starmer's fight for survival off top spot on the BBC homepage – for now.
I can't help but think, for all the digs Trump has had at him ("he's no Winston Churchill!), Sir Keir might be pretty pleased to see the president take the heat for a bit.
It's been another tumultuous week in British politics, with the future of Starmer's premiership serving as an intriguing backdrop to this year's Advantage conference in Madrid.
(Note: as TTG went to press with this interview, health secretary Wes Streeting – thought to be Keir Starmer’s biggest challenger – quit his post and called on Starmer to resign).
But it's also thrust the whole world of leadership into the foreground. What better time, then, to speak to one of travel's longest-serving – Lo Bue-Said completed 30 years service to Advantage last year – and most respected senior leaders?
'Catastrophic messaging'
We start with Starmer. "We're a politically neutral organisation," says Lo Bue-Said. "But a change of prime minister is the last thing anyone needs right now.
"What we need right now is confidence. We – the industry, the country – need stability. A change of leader doesn't help that. It's catastrophic messaging at the worst time for our industry."
Consumer confidence, specifically, is Lo Bue-Said's biggest concern right now. "It's very fragile," she says. No surcharge commitments from travel's major operators have helped, as has reassurance from the airline sector and, to its credit, the government.
"We've been working with those big brands – we really need those positive messages, and they are the ones that can amplify that," says Lo Bue-Said. "It's not spin. We need to demonstrate to consumers at a busy time of year that they can book with confidence.
"Thankfully, we've seen Tui, easyJet and Jet2 come out with no surcharge guarantees, but also with a really endearing message to say, actually, book with confidence. You've got gold-plated protection. There's no reason not to book. That's fantastic – we need to see that continue right through summer."
UK Outbound Travel
Lo Bue-Said has, for the past three years, been the figurehead for a new industry lobby effort – UK Outbound Travel. The group's aim is to complement ongoing industry efforts to communicate to Westminster the outbound sector's economic contribution.
Launched in 2023 as Rishi Sunak's administration tore itself to bits, she's engaged with government through both a blue-tinted and now a red-tinted lens. But does it really make a difference? Yes and no.
"What we've really focused on is building really strong relationships with civil servants," she explains. "Our engagement with them has been pretty consistent."
She continues: "Of course, ministerial changes – let alone a change in government – have an impact because it just pushes things further down their agendas."
Lo Bue-Said was initially buoyed by Labour's agenda. "It feels like a long time ago now, but when they first came in, there was that real pro-business stance. They were positive about growth, about airport expansion, whether we'll see that in our lifetimes, I don't know. But the sentiment was there."
However, she adds: "Obviously, the Budget has had an impact. But on the ground, the positive engagement we're having as UK Outbound is chiefly with officials and civil servants. We're making progress. We're having really positive dialogue."
'This isn't a silver bullet'
Is it enough? "We need more people to join this effort," Lo Bue-Said says, decisively. "This industry hasn't got enough voices."
She praises Abta for its work on the regulatory environment affecting travel, and airlines and tour operators for their independent lobbying. But while government appears to understand aviation and the might of brands like Jet2, Tui and easyJet, she says ministers' grasp of outbound travel remains limited.
Post-Covid, and amid the conflict in the Middle East, this is critical. During her opening conference address, Lo Bue-Said said the war in Iran had exposed the "complexity and contradiction" within the regulatory frameworks that govern travel. Package Travel Regulations, Atol, Foreign Office advice, travel insurance and EU261 "do not always align in times of crisis", she reminded delegates.
"So where are we talking about this?" she says. "One of the biggest successes we've had [with UK Outbound] is our MP engagement programme. We've had more than 100 collective members meet with their local MPs. But these MPs are going in and they've never spoken to a travel agent – ever. I've sat on roundtables and had awful conversations about travel agents."
Financial and geopolitical turmoil served as a backdrop for the 2026 conference (Credit: Robert Parfitt Photography)
UK Outbound has launched a new recruitment campaign, and is lowering the financial bar for contributions to £1,000. Next month, it will be joined by several MPs for its first Westminster event, including tourism minister Stephanie Peacock.
"This isn't about the policies on which we align and the ones we want to change," Lo Bue-Said continues. "It's about showcasing the sector as an economic power in its own right."
Can it succeed? "100%" says Lo Bue-Said, emphatically. "This is not a silver bullet, but the ambition to create this body that will amplify the benefit for the sector and work collectively across it is absolutely sound."
She has a strong message for the rest of the industry. "It's not just for Advantage to do this, or Abta, or anyone else, this is a collective," she implores.
"If the industry wants change, if it's fed up with the moaning, if it wants action, we need to make a success of UK Outbound, or we'll still be having these conversations next month, next year, whenever the next crisis comes along, when everyone says – who's fighting our corner?"
I ask if travel's various lobby efforts risk competing with one another. "There is fragmentation in every industry," says Lo Bue-Said. "But at some point, you need an over-arching collective voice. Right now, that doesn't exist."
Never waste a crisis
Lo Bue-Said believes the war in Iran is an opportunity for travel to make its voice heard. "It hate to say it, but disruption helps us do that."
Besides Iran, she highlights the rollout of the EU Entry-Exit System. "I've met with officials, the Department for Transport, the Home Office, in light of EES," she continues. "We probably wouldn't have had the same conversations if it hadn't been for the disruption with EES, the challenges we've got with the war, with jet fuel.
"These disruptions highlight the impact of our sector, and the benefits it brings. You have to seize these opportunities, I guess."
The cost of these shocks, coupled with Budget measures like higher National Insurance contributions, minimum wages and business rates, quickly add up for agents, though.
Lo Bue-Said says many are taking things one day at a time; some are pausing growth and taking stock, others are expanding to lift themselves out of the mire. "They've become used to managing these challenges – but it's just so fluid.
"However, agents did a lot during Covid to streamline their businesses, they're removing costs and actually building robustness and agility in readiness for the next shock."
I ask if something has to give. "A lot of businesses, they're probably going to need to bring in – let's just say – 10% growth in turnover just to stand still," says the Advantage chief. "Your margin is key.
"It's really challenging when you load all these extra costs without any turnover growth. But I would say we're generally quite an optimistic bunch. Agents are optimistic. They're clearly doing everything they can and are working hard to ensure clients have confidence to book."
'Powered by people'
Advantage unveiled its first rebrand for two decades at last year's conference, as well as a new website, mission and vision, plus impressive growth. "2026 has been a tough year," says Lo Bue-Said. "If we had come out with loads of amazing announcements, that might not have been appropriate this time."
Enter "powered by people". "The people theme kept coming up," she explains. "We're a community. We wanted a strong AI focus too, how to harness that as to not displace the human. So for us, it was really important to bring that community to life. And I really felt it this year."
I press her on the authenticity of that message – how does she, as chief executive, and the Advantage team walk the walk? "By making lots of mistakes and then learning from them," is her candid take. "I know where my strengths lie. I surround myself with great people. I've got to. It's all about that team. And by having talent around me, I can focus on what's important."
Lo Bue-Said still leads weekly town halls for her now fully remote workforce of more than a hundred, ensuring they feel connected and empowered. "My job is to lead, but I don't run the business – my team do. My job is to make sure we're going in the right direction strategically, to make sure they're supported and that we've got the right mix of skills. It's about having their backs."
She pauses, before adding: "I've been at Advantage for 30 years – I hate saying it out loud. It doesn't sound like it in my head, but it's a long time. And I'm not going to be here for another 30. So my job is to empower and upskill the talent around me."
Capacity to lead
During Covid, Lo Bue-Said took every media opportunity going. She's on speed dial to journalists like me. She takes calls almost 24/7 to advocate for travel. I ask her where this capacity for leadership comes from, and what lights the fire in her belly.
"I'm really lucky in that I genuinely love the job I do," she begins. "In that Covid era, I saw – overnight – this overwhelming gap, which I stepped into, and I've been fortunate to carry that on as well.
"The fire in my belly comes from the fact there are lots of agents that rely on Advantage. This is their home. They're independently owned businesses – that's a massive responsibility. I've got a hundred staff with bills, rent, mortgages to pay. I take all of that seriously. It's also the belief that there is so much more we can achieve, both with Advantage and for the industry."
Lo Bue-Said joined a panel of senior travel leaders at the conference (Credit: Robert Parfitt Photography)
How has she changed over the past six years? "I've matured," she continues. "I'm not afraid to get things wrong. Everything is a risk. Perfect doesn't exist, I say this to my team all the time. As you get older, your confidence grows. You become more confident as an individual, in your belief – I don't take any shit. If I believe something, I'll say it. None of it is about ego."
She adds: "It's very easy not to put your head above the parapet."
I'm keen to know what Lo Bue-Said believes good looks like. Who has inspired her? "This isn't about agreeing with every policy decision, but a leader who exemplifies the values I hold dear to my heart is Barack Obama."
I proffer that Obama's presidency, which began in 2009, would have coincided with her own growth as a leader. "Or maybe it's something to do with who they've got in power now," she quips.
"I think it's his [Obama's] honesty, transparency, integrity, openness. He wasn't, and still isn't, afraid to challenge, but in a kind, caring, compassionate and empathetic way. When I look at that, it gives me that fire, those goosebumps."
It's all about agents
As ever, everything comes back to agents for Lo Bue-Said. She's steadfast in her belief in them and the vitality of the independent sector. "What crisis does is showcase the importance of human travel professionals," she says.
"What we do as Advantage, as UK Outbound Travel, is about recognition, showcasing the breadth and benefit of booking with an independent travel agent, what that means for consumer protection, what that means for choice and value."
Advantage members are feeling the benefit. "We saw it with Covid. We surveyed our members after the last few years, and something like 60% of them – more than 60% – said they've had new customers come through their doors. That's phenomenal.
"We don't compete with our members, we've got no interest in buying travel agents or anything like that. That's not what we do. We're a funnel. We are here exclusively to support independent travel businesses. If I [Advantage] owned a travel agency, I wouldn't be able to do that."
