Global reveals location of next overseas conference
The Global Travel Group is to hold its next overseas conference in Mexico in 2020.
The agents’ consortium is expecting about 300 delegates – including 160 to 170 agents – to attend the four-night event to be held at the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa, which is close to Cancun.
Next year’s event, taking place from May 7, follows Global’s last overseas conference held in Orlando, Florida last year.
Chief executive Andy Stark said the decision to stage another overseas conference followed feedback from members. "We are happy to organise a conference anywhere our members want to go, I would have been happy to hold it in the UK because I’m conscious that time away is time out of our members’ businesses, but there as overwhelming support to go overseas," he said.
The news was announced at the consortium’s domestic event, Global Rocks, which was held in Cheshire this week. It attracted 170 delegates, including more than 100 agents.
"It was a great event, a great success, so we’ll keep it in the diary," said Stark.
He said the consortia’s members were having a ‘reasonable’ year, despite ‘distractions’, such as Brexit, which are creating caution in the market. "It’s not going to be a booming year, but there is demand out there," he said.
Stark said almost 50% of bookings are for travel this summer, adding there would be a lot of lates business over the next three months.
"In this kind of market you have to be competitive so margins are lower, but there is demand and independent agents who know their markets aren’t having to discount massively to get a sale, it’s just that people are holding off and booking later," he added.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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