Virgin Holidays MD will join ABTA debate on industry challenges
Virgin Holidays managing director Mark Anderson will join speakers at this year’s Travel Matters conference, organised by ABTA.
The boss of the operator, which last autumn announced it was dumping agents and selling purely direct, will join debates on the current challenges facing the travel industry.
Other speakers lined up for the event include Fraser Ellacott, customer operations director at TUI UK and Ireland, IAG chief executive Willie Walsh, and political veteran Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
Under the theme ‘Confidence in a Changing World’, panel discussions will focus on current industry hot topics, including how to build a more competitive tourism industry, what impact change and uncertainty is having on the travel customer and what the industry needs to do to meet emerging challenges in the year ahead.
The event takes place at Westminster on June 22, the day before the EU Referendum.
The conference will be steered by BBC News presenter and correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti and opened by ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer.
"We are entering unchartered territory, with the UK public about to go to the polls on the EU referendum, the continued global challenges of terrorism and the European migration crisis, and significant regulatory change all having a substantial impact," said Tanzer.
"We look forward to a stimulating and thought-provoking day in which we will discuss and debate how the industry responds to these challenges and continues to inspire consumer confidence in travel."
Travel Matters is an invitation-only event for senior representatives from ABTA’s membership, industry stakeholders, travel and transport media as well as government departments and bodies.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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