ABTA has unveiled the line-up of expert speakers for its annual Travel Matters conference on Wednesday 22 June, which brings together leaders from across the travel industry to debate the biggest political and policy issues facing the travel sector.

Delivering this year’s keynote speech and sharing crucial insight and anecdotes into the inner workings of Westminster is former Minister Amber Rudd, who served as Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Also offering a window on to Westminster is Nikki da Costa, an influential commentator on politics, legislation and parliament who served as Director of Legislative Affairs at No 10 Downing Street under both Theresa May and Boris Johnson. da Costa will be advising travel businesses on how to prepare for the run up to the next general election, while also offering her perspective on how the travel industry can forge a strong working relationship with the UK Government and opposition moving forward.

Additional speakers, whose insights will be driven by this year’s theme, ‘An Agenda for Recovery and Renewal’, include:

• Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA 
• Karen Dee, Chief Executive, Airport Operators Association 
• Simon McNamara, UK & Ireland Country Manager, International Air Transport Association (IATA) 
• Alistair Rowland, Chairman, ABTA
• Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive, Airlines UK 
• Martin Alcock, Director, Travel Trade Consultancy 
• Luke Petherbridge, Director of Public Affairs, ABTA
• Giles Hawke, CEO, Cosmos
• Brian Young, Managing Director, EMEA, G Adventures
• Prue Stone, Group Head of Sustainability, Hotelplan
• Susan Deer, Director of Industry Relations, ABTA
• Andy Janes, Group Director of Operations, Intertek 
• Moderator: LBC's Tom Swarbrick

This year’s Travel Matters conference comes one year on from the Travel Day of Action on Wednesday 23 June 2021, so offers the industry a timely opportunity to reflect on what lessons can be learnt from the pandemic, as well as exploring how travel business leaders can effectively manage the shifting landscape and what the industry needs from its future relationship with the UK Government to ensure its long-term success.

Luke Petherbridge, Director of Public Affairs at ABTA – The Travel Association, said:

“As the travel industry continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic, there are many critical challenges ahead, including rebuilding consumer confidence, attracting talent back to the industry and withstanding geopolitical turbulence. Constructive and regular engagement between industry and Government will be required to successfully tackle these challenges, and I’m looking forward to hearing industry leaders and political experts outline their views on the way ahead for travel at ABTA’s Travel Matters conference on 22 June.”

Global, the Media & Entertainment Group, is the media partner for the event. 

With just two weeks to go until this year’s Travel Matters conference, there are a limited number of places left, with tickets available to purchase at abta.com/travelmatters.
 

Notes to editors
ABTA has been a trusted travel brand for over 70 years. Our purpose is to help our Members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence. The ABTA brand stands for support, protection and expertise. This means consumers have confidence in ABTA and a strong trust in ABTA Members. These qualities are core to us as they ensure that holidaymakers remain confident in the holiday products that they buy from our Members.

We help our Members and their customers navigate through today's changing travel landscape by raising standards in the industry; offering schemes of financial protection; providing an independent complaints resolution service should something go wrong; giving guidance on issues from sustainability to health and safety and by presenting a united voice to government to ensure the industry and the public get a fair deal.

ABTA has around 4,000 travel brands in Membership, providing a wide range of leisure and business travel services, with a combined pre-pandemic annual UK turnover of £40 billion. For more details about what we do, what being an ABTA Member means and how we help the UK public travel with confidence visit www.abta.com.