Hello and welcome to a very special edition of the Independent Travel Podcast with me, Simon Calder,

and more to the point, Mark Tanzer, the illustrious, I think I can say, Chief Executive of Abta.

Welcome, Mark.

Good afternoon, Simon.

Now, we are speaking in Marrakesh, partly because we're fortunate enough to be here for

the convention of Abta, the Travel Association, but also because unbelievably your first

travel convention when you joined Abtah was in Marrakesh in 2005. That's correct.

It seems only a moment to go, but it was 2005. Anything that happened much in travel since then?

No, it's been very, very boring. No, it's been an amazing journey. Simon, the industry has really

changed beyond recognition, I would say, over those 17 years.

And some of the changes have been slow moving in terms of, obviously, the growing penetration of the internet and the way holidays are sold,

the ways in which people are much more aware of now of the climate change challenge and so forth.

And it just feels like a much more inclusive industry, I would say,

than maybe it was 17 years ago where you had a small number of very dominant companies

and dominant people running those companies.

And now I'd say it's much more open.

You've got new people who have come into the industry, new ways of doing business.

You know, at the convention just now, we've been listening to influencers

and how they're able to sort of direct marketing approaches to customers.

It's fascinating and a very different world, I would say, to what it was.

Well, we've just finished the first day.

And my goodness, what a lot we've been through.

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