James Lohan MBE

Clive Wratten, Kate Devereux and Luke Goggin kick off the The BTA Let's get to Work Conference in Munich by discussing what the next-gen business traveller wants. The answer: connectivity, travel as something to enjoy rather than be endured, elevated comfort/wellbeing, apps and tools that keep them connected, a smooth airport experience with fast-track or calm spaces in lounges, personalisation with communication that feels relevant and flexibility so they can shape their own trip. Responding to the need for connectivity, Virgin Atlantic is installing Starlink connectivity across its Airbus A330neos, A350s and Boeing 787s from the third quarter of 2026. According to Luke Goggin, this will give passengers some of the fast internet connection in the world. Read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/eVWH4ZUB #letsgettowork

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Something magical is happening across Europe: entire villages are being reborn through hospitality. 🏡 Scattered across the continent, forgotten hamlets and ghost towns are finding a second life. Old stone houses are being restored, cobbled streets reopened, and village squares brought back to life, this time as destinations for travelers seeking authenticity and quiet connection. You can find these projects from Portugal’s remote mountains to the Greek islands, passing through the French countryside and rural Italy, among others. Some follow the Albergo Diffuso model, others have evolved into design resorts or creative enclaves for artists and remote workers. Different models, same spirit: a hospitality concept that turns an entire village into the guest experience. 💡 Why now? - Travelers are craving slower rhythms and genuine places that tell a story. - Governments are offering incentives to repopulate abandoned areas. - Investors see potential: low acquisition costs, powerful storytelling, and growing demand for meaningful travel. - Sustainability has moved from “nice to have” to “essential”, and these projects bring circular value to rural economies. 💡 What makes them unique? - Each one is a living museum of architecture, culture, and human memory, revived rather than reinvented. - They merge hospitality, heritage, and regeneration into a single purpose. - In a world of sameness, having a whole village for your guests might just be the most exclusive luxury left. At Surf Office, we’ve worked with some of these revitalized villages, and our groups love them. Having an entire village for themselves creates a sense of connection and presence that no single hotel building can replicate.   💡 From ghost villages to guest villages, this movement is just getting started. In an age obsessed with speed, perhaps the future of hospitality lies in rediscovering the past. Recently, we identified 33 of these projects across Europe on Buy That Hotel, I’ll share the link in the first comment. 👉 The question is: will you watch it happen, or be the one rebuilding history? ✨ And beyond investment and design: could this be hospitality’s most meaningful legacy?

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VisitBritain publishes the latest inbound tourism statistics today, which reveal a mixed performance in 2024. International visits across the UK as a whole were up 6% on 2023 (hurrah!), but all 3 regions in the North of England saw a decline of up to 6%. Spending in 2024 was also up across England by 5% on the previous year (but only by 2% after taking inflation into account). However, across the North of England, spending fell in all 3 regions and by up to 30% (in the North East). Interesting that the North West (including Greater Manchester) accounts for over 50% of all international visits to the North and 66% of their total spend. London continues to dominate, taking 53% of all international visitor spend in the UK and 50% of all visits. The case for greater regional spread is evident in these numbers: perhaps a strategy for backing destinations with greatest growth and international connectivity (yes - that clearly includes Manchester!) and a considered appraisal of the potential for tax shopping might help turn the dial? https://lnkd.in/eJG5BRnA

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I’ve written on this topic before but in this post I’m expanding on it with new points and perspectives. Here we go... Tourism sells itself as freedom - freedom to move, to explore, to escape but when you peel back the narrative, you find a very familiar structure, one 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Despite being marketed as a liberating, gender-neutral activity, global tourism is still deeply patriarchal at many level. Mobility is 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞. In most parts of the world, men still have more financial freedom, fewer restrictions and fewer safety concerns when traveling. Women travelers, especially solo ones face cultural stigma, safety threats and systemic barriers that men rarely think about. The simple act of buying a ticket and moving freely is gendered. The tourism narrative - guidebooks, adventure shows, travel influencers is still dominated by male voices. Men are framed as explorers, adventurers and “discoverers,” while women are too often left out of the conversation and participation. Patriarchal capitalism is clear in the flow of money. Global tourism profits are funneled into corporations, often run by men, while women at the grassroots remain excluded from real ownership or wealth creation (only ~5% female CEOs among tourism companies). 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭: *Women’s mobility must be normalised, supported and safe. *Representation must move beyond to amplifying women’s voices as storytellers and decision-makers. *Ownership must be redistributed, supporting women-led tourism enterprises, cooperatives and leadership. Tourism claims to be about discovery. But the truth is, it’s still structured by the same hierarchies of patriarchy and privilege and until we see who gets to move, who gets to tell the story and who gets to profit, global tourism will remain just another man’s world.

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Britain's best travel planner might just be Harry Potter. I recently sat down with Gavin Landry from VisitBritain. We covered topics like market trends, audience insights, creative strategy, partnership models and, of course, how to measure it all. Then the conversation turned to regenerative tourism. We all know the tourism industry is evolving fast. We're moving away from the old model of cramming as many people as possible into destinations toward something better. Regenerative tourism focuses on making places thrive for everyone: visitors, locals and the landscape itself. Enter Gavin and the VisitBritain team. They've been leading this shift with some brilliant strategies, and their screen tourism approach is just one example: It turns out 9 out of 10 visitors want to see filming locations from their favorite shows. So they mapped every spot and built campaigns around each show's fanbase. Now Bridgerton fans visit Bath for afternoon tea, Harry Potter lovers take broomstick lessons at Alnwick Castle and Outlander devotees explore remote Highland villages they never would have found otherwise. People binge a show, fall in love with the scenery and book their whole trip around those exact spots. That emotional connection beats any other campaign you could dream up. This is regenerative tourism at its finest. London finally gets breathing room while small towns that benefit from tourism dollars have superfans showing up and pumping money into local businesses. Our full Q&A is linked below. Gavin breaks down this approach plus a ton more about how Britain's tackling regenerative tourism. Huge thanks to Gavin for sharing these incredible insights with me and for your time at our panel! This conversation got me fired up about what's possible when you think beyond traditional destination marketing. My DMO friends, you should definitely check this out!

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