ABTA today announced that Tourism Minister John Penrose MP will be among the speakers at ABTA’s third annual Travel Matters event. This year’s event, taking place at Millbank in Westminster on 10th May, will see leading industry figures discussing issues around the mix of support for outbound/inbound and domestic tourism and how we can improve the UK’s global connectivity to support sustainable growth.

Travel Matters brings together industry leaders, influencers and policy makers to provide a forum where they can debate on and influence current policy matters.  Delegates are invited from all sectors of the travel industry, including senior representatives from ABTA’s Membership, Government departments and industry stakeholders.

Other speakers at the event include: Cllr Daniel Moylan, Deputy Chairman of Transport for London; John Parkinson, Head of UK Aviation Policy Development Department for Transport; and James Berresford, CEO VisitEngland who will be joining John Penrose MP on a panel discussion about the UK tourism mix.

Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive said: “Travel Matters provides a fantastic opportunity for the industry to share and shape views on key policy issues. Once again we are delighted to bring together an outstanding line-up of travel industry and Government speakers. We will discuss a whole range of issues critical to a successful and healthy future for our industry, especially the value to the UK economy of both outbound and inbound travel and what drives the UK tourism mix; as well as timely debate on how we can improve the UK’s connectivity, including developing a robust aviation strategy.”

The event will be moderated by ITV News Special Correspondent Daisy McAndrew who successfully moderated last year’s event. Daisy’s wealth of experience in politics and economics will once more prove invaluable for steering the debate forward.

List of confirmed speakers:

John Penrose MP, Minister for Tourism and Heritage
Ian Ailles, CEO Mainstream, Thomas Cook UK & Ireland
Cllr Daniel Moylan, Deputy Chairman of Transport for London
Mary Rance, CEO, UK Inbound
James Berresford, CEO, VisitEngland
Kane Pirie, Managing Director, Travel Republic
John Parkinson, Head of UK Aviation Policy Development Department for Transport
Mike Bowers, Group Counsel, TUI Travel PLC
Tim Johnson, Director, Aviation Environment Federation
Mark Tanzer, CEO, ABTA
Luke Pollard, Head of Public Affairs, ABTA

Additional speakers will be announced shortly.