The actions of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin – plus the situation in Gaza – have created an unpredictable geo-political situation that could have potentially damaging consequences for international travel.
Aito chair Chris Rowles said there was uncertainty about the future with Donald Trump’s “tariffs and land grabs”. “But I think there is reassurances there as well; so many people say business is good, people are still wanting to travel. If it’s not safe, they travel somewhere else and then they come back when it is safe,” he said.
He told an Aito meeting in London: “If all of you came out of Covid I don’t know what Trump can throw at you to damage you.”
However, Jatin Saini, Smart Currency’s foreign exchange risk management consultant, said directives from Washington could start to affect economies and consumer spending power worldwide.
“Everybody is thinking about tariffs, “he said, but added: “Trump may be back pedalling.” However, he said the US president’s other interests were of concern. “He still wants Greenland; he still wants to be heavily involved in the Ukraine war. We don’t know what he is working on in the background with Putin.”
Saini said the enormous cost of supporting Ukraine and the rebuilding of Gaza would affect many nations’ economies. “The question a lot of people will be asking is where is this money coming from?”
The panel discussed how global conflicts affected travel patterns. Pru Goudie, Adventure Travel Networking founder, said: “I was at On the Go Tours when we had the Arab Spring, 6,000 passengers a year completely switched off. They came back. If they can’t go to Israel they will go to the Silk Road. Once Ukraine is open they will be lining up.”
Many Aito members were in a relatively good position because of their client type. “Don’t worry about the adventure traveller, they will always be the first ones in,” she said.
Rowles said despite the uncertain outlook, Aito was “on the up”. “The growth to 150 members is starting to happen,” he said, but admitted: “We still have some way to go.” He said another eight members were due to join by the end of the financial year.
“We must grow to afford the services you want; we have to be a larger organisation than we currently are,” he concluded.
It comes as the trade body announced that its 2025 conference would return to Spain for the second consecutive year.
The event will take place in a five-star spa hotel in a rural location over the last weekend in November.
