ABTA – The Travel Association today announced that it has appointed three new Directors to the ABTA Board. The new Directors are:

Ruth Marshall – Managing Director, RCL Cruises Ltd

Garry Wilson – Chief Executive Officer, easyJet holidays

Andrew Flintham – Managing Director – TUI Northern Region

ABTA Chairman, Alistair Rowland, said: 

“We are delighted to welcome Ruth and Garry onto the ABTA Board for the first time, and to welcome Andrew on his return to the Board. All three individuals have outstanding backgrounds in travel.  RCL, TUI and easyJet demonstrate the wide range of businesses within ABTA membership, and are essential suppliers to many other ABTA Members. There has never been a more important time for different parts of the travel industry to work together behind a single organisation to carry our case to Government, and to shape the future of the industry as we emerge from the pandemic.”

Stuart Leven (RCL) and Richard Sofer (TUI) are stepping down from the ABTA Board. 

Alistair Rowland added: “I would like to thank Stuart and Richard for their invaluable contributions to our Board discussions over the recent years, as we have worked to steer ABTA Members, and ABTA itself, through the biggest crisis the industry has faced.”

Ruth Marshall, Managing Director, RCL Cruises Ltd said: 

“I am delighted to join the ABTA board at such a critical time for the industry to offer my advice and leadership as we navigate the reopening of travel ahead of us. With 14 years’ experience in cruise and 20 years in travel, I look forward to sharing my broad experience and knowledge with the Board.”

Garry Wilson, CEO, easyJet holidays, said: 

“I’m really pleased to be joining the ABTA board, an organisation which carries out consistently brilliant work representing our industry and protecting our customers, which has been particularly recognised and appreciated over the past year. 

“easyJet holidays has been an ABTA member since we launched our brand-new business, and despite the challenging circumstances the whole industry has faced, we’ve grown to be one of its biggest members. So I’m really looking forward to taking on the position and working even more closely with industry colleagues. It’s a really important time as we sharpen our focus on the future of travel, building confidence and starting to take people away on their well-earned holidays once again.”

Andrew Flintham, Managing Director for TUI Northern Region said:

“I’m delighted to be re-joining the ABTA board of directors to continue the great work the team have delivered in recent months. 

“ABTA has always played an important role within our industry and is highly valued by our customers. As we continue to navigate through the Covid-19 crisis for our industry, and start on our road to recovery, I’m looking forward to playing a vital role alongside Mark and other industry leaders.”

Notes to editors

ABTA has been a trusted travel brand for 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 more than 4,300 travel brands in Membership, providing a wide range of leisure and business travel services, with a combined annual UK turnover of £39 billion. For more details about what we do, what being an ABTA Member means and how we help the British public travel with confidence visit www.abta.com.