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- A stellar line up including broadcasters and authors, Ray Mears and Kate Humble as part of the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival.
- Other speakers include Nicky Kelvin, The Points Guys UK; winner of BBC2 series Race Across the World, Emon Choudhury; Sue Bryant, Cruise Editor, The Times & The Sunday Times; Louise Ferrall of VisitEngland and Chris Wright, MD at Sunvil.
- Talks include inspiring interviews, informative panel discussions, travel advice clinics with live Q&As
- Topics include: responsible travel, solo travel, the comeback of cruise and the UK’s best kept secrets
- Speakers Kasia Morgan of Exodus, Eleni Andreadis of Sani Resort, Graeme Paton of The Times, Taran Khan, journalist & author, Lyndsey Richardson of VisitScotland, Chef Yui, and Gemma Thompson, travel writer & podcaster, A Girls’ Guide To Travelling Alone share their current views on travel, travel tips and advice and what they hope you’ll take away from their talk.
- Talks will be streamed between 8th & 9th May, and recordings available to watch on demand until 16th May.
A stellar line up of award-winning authors, TV personalities and travel industry experts have been announced for Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show’s second online edition, Destinations presents Travel 2021. The virtual event, which is free to attend, will run from Friday 7th May until Sunday 16th May (with access to live content between 7th – 9th May).
Destinations TV will stream two days (8th & 9th May and available on demand until 16th May) of inspiring and informative talks and panel discussions with live Q&As. Including talks from Stanfords Travel Writers Festival, speakers range from award winning travel writers such as Taran Khan, author of Shadow City: A Woman Walks Kabul, to broadcasters and authors Ray Mears and Kate Humble, to travel industry insiders, Sue Bryant, Cruise Editor at The Times & The Sunday Times, Louise Ferrall of VisitEngland and Chris Wright, MD at Sunvil.
Topics covered include solo travel, the comeback of cruise, responsible travel and the UK’s best kept secrets, featuring representatives from four UK tourist boards, VisitEngland, VisitScotland Tourism Ireland and North Wales Tourism. There will also be a travel advice clinic with live Q&A and an expert panel hosted by Wanderlust’s founding editor, Lyn Hughes. Nicky Kelvin, The Points Guy UK will reveal how to travel first class on a budget. These free talks are perfect for visitors looking to make informed decisions on future holiday plans as well as a bit of inspiration and entertainment.
Providing a snapshot of what to expect from their talks and panels over the two days, our speakers have shared their current views on travel, travel tips and advice and what they hope you’ll take away from their talk.
Kasia Morgan, Head of Sustainability, Exodus Travels, Graeme Paton, Transport Correspondent, The Times and Eleni Andreadis, Group Director of Sustainability and CSR, Sani Resort will be part of The Times panel discussion, ‘Who cares about sustainable travel?’. Sunday 9 May, 2pm.
What is one tip / piece of advice you would give consumers that relates to yourtalk?
Kasia Morgan: “Be mindful of the carbon impact of your travels; choosing trains over planes, staying in eco-lodges rather than all-inclusive resorts and opting for ‘self-powered’ travels, such as cycling or hiking, not only make for lower impact holidays, but can enhance the adventure! If you are flying, make those flights count by enjoying a holiday that’ll benefit the places and communities you’re visiting.”
Graeme Paton: “Air travel is changing. The focus on our carbon footprint will only intensify in the coming years. But I doubt that environmental concerns will really stop the majority of people from flying… in the short term at least.”
Eleni Andreadis: “My one piece of advice for consumers is to be conscious and aware in every choice they make – whether this relates to how they power their homes, travel, food, anything. Of course governments and big corporations have a duty to create meaningful lasting change, and that can’t come soon enough, but we as consumers we also have immense power. When travelling in particular, look for destinations and hotels that have sustainability at their heart, not just as a side thing, look for third-party certifications and partnerships, ask difficult questions and hold them at a very high standard. It will help us all improve. Businesses nowadays should be aiming not just to have sustainable operations but also be a force for good in their local environment and communities.”
What are your thoughts on the future of travel?
Kasia Morgan: “Aside from the initial pent-up demand to enjoy long awaited holidays and fulfil long frustrated wanderlust, I believe the impact of the global pause in tourism over the last year have impressed upon many of us the huge benefits that responsible tourism can bring to so many parts of the world, in terms of economic development, conservation and cultural exchange. I believe this will lead to many of us being more aware of the impact of the kind of holidays we choose to take. Knowing that we can proactively help bring opportunity to our destination communities and help conserve the landscapes we visit only enhances the enjoyment of our travels.”
Graeme Paton: “It will bounce back but it will be several years before we see the resumption of international travel on a level even vaguely close to that of 2019. Business travel will be the one area, I suspect, that will never recover to pre-covid levels.”
Eleni Andreadis: “Our bookings for the coming months show that people are keen to get back to travel and create new memories, but I do think there’s an even greater realization that we have to do this in a more mindful way. This is especially true of the younger generations, with post-covid studies showing that youth see climate change and environmental degradation as more important threats than the pandemic – something that’s being seen though in different degrees across the board for all ages. As a well-established luxury resort, we aim to create holidays with sustainability at their heart – and we are every year setting more and more ambitious targets to do with getting as close as we can to zero carbon, as well as going zero plastic, zero waste and recycling 100% of our wastewater. We’ve been working hard on sustainability for years because it’s the right thing to do, but also because we don’t think that there’s going to be any other way to be as a business going forward.”
Taran Khan – Journalist & Author of Shadow City: A Woman Walks Kabul
Taran will be talking to Julia Wheeler about her book on Sunday 9 May at 12pm.
What are your thoughts on the future of travel?
“I hope it will become less focused on ticking off destinations and more about the journey. I also feel people will rediscover the joys of travelling in slower, more old fashioned ways, like taking trains or buses or bicycles, or just walking.”
Where is one place that you recommend everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime?
“It might sound clichéd, but I love the Taj Mahal. The scale of the monument, as well as the beauty of its details, don’t really come through in photographs or videos. It has to be seen to be believed.”
What is one tip / piece of advice you would give consumers that relates to your talk?
“Not quite a tip about my talk but– when approaching a new city, don’t hesitate if you feel like abandoning the itinerary and wandering off to do something quite different. You can create beautiful personal map of a place, by exploring it with no fixed goal.”
Gemma Thompson – Travel Writer and Podcaster, Girls That Travel
Gemma will be a panellist on Wanderlust’s ‘Solo Travel Panel’ on Saturday 8 May, 1pm.
What are your thoughts on the future of travel?
“I’m tentatively optimistic for two reasons. Firstly, I think the Covid travel restrictions have encouraged people to start exploring their own country more, and I hope this continues as our local tourism industry still needs us to help recover from 2020. And secondly, people are so ready for a change too. For me that means feeling the heat of a tropical country and getting that lovely rich culture hit. Whatever you have been missing, hopefully it won’t be too long now, before you can get back out there.”
“Research, research, research! From choosing a location for your travels, to making sure you’re staying in the best spot, I believe a little bit of research can transform a regular trip into a truly memorable one.”
Lyndsey Richardson – Consumer PR Manager, UK & Ireland, VisitScotland
Lyndsey will be inspiring audiences on Sunday 9 May as one of the speakers on the ‘The UK’s best kept secrets revealed’ panel discussion at 1pm.
What are your thoughts on the future of travel?
“Our in-house experts consider this question very closely and expect that sustainable travel will continue to be a significant driving force for future travellers. This is a topic which is incredibly important to VisitScotland and the organisation recently signed up to Tourism Declares, a community of 241 travel organisations who have declared a climate emergency and are committed to responsible tourism. Eco-conscious visitors to Scotland will find plenty of eco-friendly accommodation options and visitors to Orkney and Eigg will be able to enjoy a stay in locations which produce their own electricity using renewable energy sources. Eyemouth was recently awarded plastic free status by Surfers Against Sewage. Scotland is very much looking towards a sustainable future.”
Where is one place that you recommend everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime?
“Scotland offers so much stunning variety that it’s impossible to recommend one place over another. It depends on the individual – do you prefer hills or coast? Cities or wilderness? Do you want an adventure holiday or a relaxing wellness holiday? What I will say is that, on a personal level, I chose to move to Edinburgh just because I loved it – for my own tastes there is nothing it can’t offer, including a huge variety of festivals, there is always something happening! There are excellent restaurants, beautiful buildings and a rich history but the city also feels friendly and open and full of green spaces. I moved to East Lothian, which I also love but I haven’t strayed too far from Edinburgh.”
Yui Miles – Chef, Masterchef 2019 Finalist.
Yui will be leading a Thai street food cook-along, in partnership with the Tourism Authority Thailand, on Saturday 8 May, 4pm.
Would you, or are you planning to go on holiday abroad or in the UK this year? If yes, where and why?
“We are planning to go on a short holiday this year (in fact in June) in the UK and hopefully to Thailand end of this year.”
What are your thoughts on the future of travel?
“It’s so hard to predict the future of travel but I think the social distancing and the vaccine passport will play a big part.”
What is one tip / piece of advice you would give consumers that relates to your talk?
“Travelling is all about experiencing places and local food. I hope that my cooking demo will bring you back to some of the delicious street food in Thailand.”
Destinations presents Travel 2021 is an online hub for your journey back to travel: it will inspire, as well as help you research, plan and prepare your next trip. Whether you fancy a UK staycation this summer, or you’re dreaming of a future far-flung destination, a fantastic range of travel brands will be on hand to provide inspiration as well as practical advice, answer your queries and provide booking reassurances. Got a quick question? You can use the Live Chat function, or for more in-depth advice, you can book video or audio one-to-one consultations travel companies virtually exhibiting at the event between 7th – 9th May.
More details about Destinations presents Travel 2021, including the full line up of talks and speakers can be found on the website www.destinationsshow.co.uk/travel2021
Destinations presents Travel 2021 will take place with live content from Friday 7th – Sunday 9th May and the platform will be accessible with on demand content until Sunday 16th May. For more information visit www.destinationsshow.com/travel2021.The event is free for visitors to attend following registration.
