Travel industry news

Julia Lo Bue-Said and Jo Rzymowska recognised in King's Birthday Honours

Advantage chief executive Lo Bue-Said has been recognised for her services to business and tourism, and Rzymowska for her efforts to effect change in the diversity, equity and inclusion space

Great Little Escapes ceases trading as Atol holder prompting CAA advisory to agents

The CAA has issued instructions to the trade after Great Little Escapes and subsidiary brands ceased to be an Atol holder on 13 June

Riviera Travel hands Vicky Billing expanded brief after driving 'rapid' trade growth

Billing, who has overseen nearly 50% year-on-year growth through the trade, has been promoted to director of trade and partnerships UK and Ireland

Foreign Office advises against all travel to Israel as conflict with Iran escalates

FCDO upgrades advisory to caution against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Murray Travel to launch exclusive Gran Canaria charter programme next year

’The dream is to make the Highlands feel less cut off,’ said the agency’s co-founder Scott Murray

British national sole survivor of crashed Gatwick-bound Air India flight

Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday (12 June), killing all but one of 242 people onboard

Finalists revealed for TTG Travel Industry Awards 2025

Travel’s most coveted award ceremony is moving to one of London’s most iconic music venues

Gatwick-bound Air India flight crashes shortly after take-off with 53 Britons onboard

Air India has confirmed Gatwick-bound flight AI171 crashed shortly after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday

Idle Travel, Perfect Getaways and Go Ben win share of £80,000 Jet2 high street fund

The first recipients of funding from the airline and operator’s Scale Up Your Street campaign have been revealed

Ryanair threatens to fine disruptive passengers £500 in new crackdown

Ryanair says it will penalise disruptive passengers who are offloaded with a mandatory £500 fine and pursue civil damages in a crack down on antisocial behaviour as the peak season approaches

Brace for more unrest fuelled by Trump's TV agenda, travel warned

The UK’s former ambassador to Washington has said president Donald Trump’s desire to dominate news networks means he will not shy away from scenes like the disturbances in Los Angeles

Outbound travel 'as important as inbound', insists tourism minister

Sir Chris Bryant tells Abta’s Travel Matters seminar he regards outbound tourism as important as inbound, recognising the UK would not be so well connected without it – particularly in the regions

Not Just Travel, Royal Caribbean, Carnival UK: all the latest travel trade people moves

Tony Roberts returns to travel with Imagine Cruising, while Carnival UK has named P&O Cruises’s new brand director. Meanwhile, two high-profile figures in the travel trade have left their roles after more than 20 years

'I was wrong to write off Tui – this sleeping giant might finally be waking up'

’With a receding debt mountain and some interesting strategic moves, the leisure giant that is Tui in the UK may finally be awakening,’ argues industry veteran Steve Endacott

Outbound travel to add £10bn to UK economy over next five years, says Abta – if government backs sector

Outbound travel will provide more UK jobs, help regional airports thrive and add £10 billion to the UK economy over the next five years if it is backed by government, Abta has said in a new report

'I didn't really join the industry to sell travel, but then I began to think – this could have legs'

The founder of Janine Loves Travel tells Rob Gill how she fell into ’a great industry’

Agent claims high street jump has helped grow 'five-figure' bookings

Agency owner Liz Houston says she has ’not got any regrets’ about opening a shop – and has plans to, one day, open a second branch in a nearby town

EasyJet holidays puts 11 more destinations on sale from Newcastle for summer '26

Airline and operator will open a three-aircraft base at Newcastle next spring

Can travel embrace AI while retaining its human touch? Plus, 12 other ITT conference highlights

The war for talent, travel’s stand on DEI, and AI’s coming of age were among the key talking points at the 2025 ITT conference in Sardinia this week...

Turkish Airlines ramps up UK and Ireland summer schedule

Turkish Airlines has added a raft of new frequencies to major UK and Ireland airports as demand spikes for Istanbul and destinations beyond the carrier’s home hub

'Lean on our specialists' expertise to sell Italy,' association urges agents

Abtoi chair Lisa Leggate told TTG the best way for the association’s members to get closer to the trade is through networking and events such as WTM

Payday driving booking spikes that could replace traditional peaks, says agency

Increased demand soon after payday has prompted The Personal Travel Consultants to wonder whether the traditional peak booking periods are ending

Quarter of consumers now booking package holidays, according to Barclays' 10-year review

Barclays has identified an upward trend in package holiday demand and spending with travel agents in a report that reviews consumer behaviour over the last decade

Travel brands ‘need a bit more carrot and stick when it comes to decarbonising’

Felix Hamer, expedition line HX’s strategy manager (sustainability), said brands shouldn’t be afraid of admitting they are at the start of a journey, and should start taking whatever action they can – even if it starts with low-hanging fruit – with a focus on transparency rather than perfection in the first instance.