Appointment of Tobias is welcome: Comment by J.Skidmore
Former British Incoming Tour Operators’ Association chairman Richard Tobias has taken on a challenging role as deputy chairman of the Tourism Alliance.
His job is to speak to the government as the voice of the industry.
We need someone in that role as never before. For far too long the corridors of power have ignored the travel industry because there have been too many disparate views coming out of it.
But we shouldn’t expect too much too quickly. In his new job, Tobias has to win the confidence of politicians and be seen as a credible force in the industry.
It’s called politics for a reason. You don’t get what you want by shouting from the rooftops or making outrageous demands for funding from Gordon Brown.
The industry is already on the back foot with this government after its high profile campaign against the war. Did anyone really think that Tony Blair was going to do a U-turn on invading Iraq because travel agents were losing bookings? The whole thing was frankly laughable and embarrassing.
It would have been far better to concentrate on constructive strategies and campaigns to help travel agents survive during the lean times.
Tobias wisely stayed out of the anti-war campaign and if anyone can mend fences and influence politicians, he can. But we need to give him time and be realistic with our expectations.
See today’s story:
25-Apr-2003: TravelMole Interview: Richard Tobias, deputy chairman, Tourism Alliance
Read previous comments by Jeremy:
17-April-2003 Domestic operators must help the trade
11-April-2003 Timeshare offers retailers a crumb of comfort
28-March-2003 A ‘good deal’ overcomes the fear of flying
14-Mar-2003 Late booking adding to the woes of operators
07-Mar-2003 Let’s make best use of aviation resources
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