Welcome and introduction
Jonathan Samuels, Moderator
Jonathan Samuels, Sky News presenter and travel writer, will open this year’s business sessions.

75 years and beyond
Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA
ABTA’s Chief Executive shares his thoughts on the journey so far and travel’s next chapter.

The UK and Europe in a changing world
Professor Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King’s College London
Our first guest speaker will share his insights on the evolving geopolitical landscape and the future of EU-UK relations. This session will explore the significant changes on the horizon and their implications for the travel industry.

The consumer reconsidered
Sam Farnfield, Director, Strategy&
Eleanor Scott, Partner, Strategy&
Rick Jones, UK Hospitality, Sports and Leisure Sector Leader and Corporate Finance Partner, PwC UK
Sam, Eleanor and Rick will examine the top consumer themes, how they could impact travel, and lessons to be learned from adjacent sectors. How does travel sit within the broader consumer and retail sector? How are consumer tribes developing and shaping choices? How are channels and influences developing and changing research and purchasing?

This session will include proprietary research and some crystal ball gazing on what this might mean for travel over the next two to three years.

The road ahead – view from the top
Steve Heapy, Chief Executive Officer, Jet2
Neil Swanson, Managing Director, TUI UK&I
Garry Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, easyJet holidays
ABTA is celebrating its 75th anniversary and those 75 years have been an outstanding success, bringing international travel within the reach of millions, and offering an endless variety of experiences.

We talk to ABTA’s largest tour operators about where we’ve come from, where we are now, and how they view the road ahead.

ABTA LifeLine
Trudie Clements, Director, ABTA LifeLine
The Director of ABTA LifeLine will talk about the difference the charity has made with your support since last year’s Convention, and outline this year’s Convention LifeLine initiatives.

Overtourism - moving the dial
Juan Antonio Amengual Guasp, Mayor of Calvià
Zina Bencheikh, Managing Director EMEA, Intrepid Travel
Manuel Butler, Director of Tourism, Spanish Tourism Office, London
Ian Corbett, Head of Sustainability, TUI
Protests about overtourism are sending a clear message that we need a new model for tourism that balances the interests of all stakeholders – destinations, travel providers, travellers, local businesses, and residents – as well as the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.

This session will address the challenges of integrated destination management and explore innovative strategies for a more sustainable future.

Persuasive marketing in an age of AI
Nathalie Nahai, Expert in Consumer Behaviour, Persuasive Tech & Marketing
Nathalie will draw upon a rich background in human behaviour, psychology and neuroscience, to offer a unique vantage point from which to examine the complex challenges we face today. In this thought provoking talk, she'll explore the psychology behind persuasive communication in an age of automation, and how to leverage human insight to navigate the perils and possibilities of AI tools.

The road ahead – view from the bridge
Paul Beale, Vice President of Sales, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises UK & Ireland
Giles Hawke, Vice President International, Celebrity Cruises
Eithne Williamson, Vice President, Princess Cruises UK & Europe
Chaired by: Lucy Huxley, Editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group
Cruise is now a well-established sector within ABTA’s membership, having grown exponentially over the past few decades. This session brings together a panel of industry experts to explore the developments and possibilities shaping the cruise sector. From emerging investments in technologies and sustainability breakthroughs, to evolving customer demographics and cross-sector partnerships, the panel will reflect on the role of cruise in the tourism eco-system today and share their perspectives on the road ahead.

Leaders under pressure
Simon Lewis OBE, Managing Director, Lewis Partners
In this session, communications guru Simon Lewis talks about how the world of PR moves and shapes the movers and shakers, particularly when leaders are under pressure.

Co-host of the popular ‘When it hits the fan’ podcast, Simon will draw on moments from his career – including his time at Buckingham Palace and Number 10 – to illustrate the challenges of communicating in high-stakes, fast moving situations, and how travel organisations can maintain trust in turbulent times.

The power of slow
Carl Honoré, Writer, Broadcaster and TED speaker
To thrive in a fast world, perhaps you have to slow down. Harnessing the power of slowness can boost your health and happiness and supercharge your performance at work. Drawing on stories from around the world, Carl will show you how to level up by unleashing your inner tortoise.

The road ahead – the specialist view
Alex Delamere White, Chief Operating Officer, HX Expeditions
Kelly Jackson, Managing Director, The Travel Corporation Tour Brands
Jamie Loizou, Managing Director, AmaWaterways
Chaired by: Lucy Huxley, Editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group
At last year’s Convention, PwC reported that investors from within and outside of travel were most interested in travel companies offering experiential, luxury, and sustainable travel; companies attracting the silver market, as well as those targeting targeting younger markets, such as Gen Z.

In this session, we explore the growing trend for differentiated, and often slower, forms of travel and how the industry is evolving to meet this demand. We will discover who these travellers are, what drives their choices, how to engage with them and the opportunities this presents for your business.

The joy of travel: food, music and belonging
Simon Rimmer, TV Chef and Gold Radio host
Sarah Gale, Director of Insight & Outcomes, Global Media and Entertainment
Travel is often remembered for the flavours shared at a local table, the song that becomes the soundtrack to your trip, and the moments when you feel part of a local community. As travellers seek more sustainable holiday choices, food, music, culture and belonging are becoming vital markers of meaningful travel. In this session, we discuss how to win the hearts and minds of the next generation of travellers.

The hidden journey: how employee experience shapes every holiday
Matt Callaghan, Chief Operating Officer, easyJet holidays
Behind every seamless holiday moment lies a hidden journey: the systems, processes, and culture that shape how colleagues show up. In travel, customer experience is simply colleague experience, seen from the outside. In this session, Matt will explore why employee experience matters most in travel, unpack the formula that connects culture and ease, and show how trust, recognition, clarity, and tools drive both engagement and customer loyalty. Drawing on research and frontline insights, we will look at the role of leaders in creating belonging and hope, and why, as curators of joy, our ability to care for colleagues directly determines the memories we create for customers.

Reasons to be cheerful – the agents’ perspective
Judith Alderson, Commercial Director, Dawson & Sanderson
Lisa McAuley, Managing Director, World Travel Holdings UK
Nicki Tempest Mitchell, Managing Director, Barrhead Travel
Steve Witt, Co-Founder, Not Just Travel
In our final panel session, we talk to four of ABTA’s travel agent members about what they’ve heard during the Convention and what gives them renewed positivity for the future.

Beyond the finish line
Sally Gunnell OBE 
Jo Rzymowska MBE, Founder, Jovolution

In our final session, Jo Rzymowska will be joined for a fireside chat by Sally Gunnell, the Essex girl who captured the hearts of a nation. Sally remains the only woman ever to hold four major track titles concurrently - Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth. An extraordinary testament to her resilience, confidence, and determination.

Since retiring from international athletics, Sally developed a new career as a television presenter, inspirational speaker, and author of books on fitness, health, self-fulfilment, and wellbeing. By embracing optimism, balance and curiosity, Sally will remind us that in life as in travel, the journey can be as rewarding as the destination.

Closing remarks
Alistair Rowland, Chair, ABTA
The Chair of ABTA will share his personal reflections from the Convention and thank all those involved in delivering this year’s event, as he brings the 2025 Travel Convention to a close.