Chairman’s welcome

Introduction from Simon Calder, conference moderator

Destination update – Peru

AI and what it can do for your business

Ajesh Patel and Amelie Matuschka, Google

This insightful discussion will look at how we are already using Google’s AI tools in the day-to-day, and how businesses can use AI to better understand their customers and drive targeted profitable growth.

Diversity in travel – How inclusive is travel to Latin America?

Moderator: Tom Parry, TTG Media
Panellists: Simon Miller, Founder, Enable My Trip; Amrit Singh, co-founder and Managing Director of TransIndus; Edgar Weggelaar, CEO of Queer Destinations

This conversation will discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) sector. The panel will discuss the current perceptions, knowledge and infrastructure in place for travellers with different needs across the region, as well highlighting their individual experiences with the successes of catering to the sector.

The panel will look at how disability and mobility, LGBTQ+ and ethnicity and religion play a part in both operational issues ahead of a customer’s trip, and once they are in the destination. They will also discuss the results of a survey conducted by TTG Media and LATA, which questioned a sample of the UK travel trade on their experience with DEI.

Coffee break – Sponsored by Peru

Errol Lawson – The Art of Being Brilliant

Errol Lawson brings a refreshingly authentic and down to earth approach to the LATA Expo Conference to share his insights on the ‘Art of Being Brilliant’.

As a best-selling author and holder of an MSc in Enterprise Management, Errol demonstrates what’s possible when you embrace a ‘Can-do Mindset’ and refuse to let obstacles hold you back. His message is clear: no matter where you come from or what challenges you face, you have the power to create the life you desire.

Female leadership and gender equality in Latin America

Moderator: Zina Bencheikh, Managing Director EMEA Intrepid Travel
Panellists: Sarah Bradley, Managing Director of Journey Latin America; Ivonne Zumarraga, Managing Director and Partner of Golden Experiences and Travel; Alessandra Alonso, Founder of Women in Travel CIC

As part of the new-look LATA Expo Conference on Monday 24 June, we are thrilled to introduce a Women in Travel session with a stellar panel of senior women figures from the LATA membership.

The session will look at the current state of gender equality when it comes to leadership in the Latin American travel sector. Moderator Zina Bencheikh will be joined by three female leaders who are agents of change and promote gender equality within their organisations. They will share their own career stories and offer insights and advice for delegates, as well as considering what’s next for gender equality in the sector.

Headline Speaker: James Levelle – Free-riding in South America

The Monday conference will conclude with a keynote speech from James Levelle, who hitchhiked 6000km through South America with no cash, no credit cards, and no mobile for his documentary Free-Ride. He will share stories from his trip as well as some of the experiences he has had as a renowned filmmaker and adventurer.

Introduction to the Latin America 2030 project

How to tell stories that drive and communicate impact – in conjunction with The Long Run and Belize Tourism Board

Tuesday morning’s new thought-starter session will be led by The Long Run, looking at how to tell stories that drive impact by using your community to tell your story wherever you are in the supply chain. We will look at a case study from the Belize Tourism Board, showing how to work with local communities and key stakeholders to tell their story and how this is communicated to visitors.

The session will discuss the barriers for communicating our stories and we will collaborate on how we overcome these.

During this interactive session, we will be asking for your thoughts, so we all come away with some tangible actions.

THE WHY, THE WHAT AND THE HOW: THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

New for 2024, the dedicated sustainability conference at LATA Expo will explore why, what and how businesses implement sustainable practices into their operations.

THE WHY

Thomas Power, CEO and co-founder of Pura Aventura and co-founder of Travel by B-Corp.

Thomas will begin the conference discussing WHY there is a business case for sustainability.

From conferences and tourism authorities to marketing campaigns and the media, sustainable travel is talked about everywhere. Consumers say they want sustainable travel, but most don’t actually buy it. So why now? Thomas believes that if a business isn’t currently taking action then it will be left behind. As soon as sustainability has more positive associations, and it becomes a duty rather than desire, the gap between a business’ intentions and actions will narrow.

If done well, sustainability isn’t a hygiene factor. Thomas will show that it’s more enriching for both businesses and consumers as well as generating higher new product sales. Businesses see greater customer loyalty and more repeat bookings, often with higher spends, which accompanied by a lower acquisition cost, has financial benefits for the business.

THE WHAT

Chris Haslam, chief sustainability writer at the Sunday Times and Darrell Wade, CEO and co-founder of Intrepid Travel.

Chris Haslam will host a fireside conversation with Darrell Wade to look at WHAT a sustainable, purpose-led business should look like?

Does the travelling public really care about sustainability? At home they recycle and drive electric cars. They take reusable bags to the supermarket, and they’ve got solar panels on the roof but for two weeks of the year, they want to fly to another country and cut loose.

But does it matter? Not if the holidays they choose already have the sustainability baked in and the extractive matter, well, extracted.

In other words, there’s no point waiting for public demand to force change in the industry. It is the responsibility of purpose-led tour operators, hoteliers, DMCs, airlines and all other relevant stakeholders to present menus offering only the right choices.

But how much effort is enough when, according to an informal Sunday Times poll, only five percent of travellers consider a lack of sustainability to be a deal breaker? How far down the value chain is far enough? When is the cost of transformation too much? How do you reconcile idealism with pragmatism?

Intrepid Travel is the largest certified travel B-Corp in the world and a global leader in regenerative travel with sustainability embedded into its strategy. Chris will be discussing with Darrel what a business that does this looks like and questioning what value this brings to a business.

THE HOW

Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner, Executive Director of The Long Run with Tony Thorne, Director of Wilderness Explorers, Jasci Carvalho, Director of Tropic Travel DMC, and Naomi McKee, PR Manager at Senderos.

Led by Anne-Kathrin, known to many delegates for leading LATA’s Sustainability Training Programme, the final session of the conference will look at HOW to implement change through collaboration, embedding sustainability into the day-to-day operations of your business.

The Long Run’s 360-approach looks at business through the lens of the 4Cs – community, culture, conservation and commerce. The challenges felt by most businesses align to each of these, which in turn enables solutions to be found. How do we better engage with suppliers, how do we embed a culture of sustainability within a team, how do we create transformative and engaging experiences, and how do we create a responsible business model.

Alongside the panellists, the interactive session will tackle the key challenges around implementing change and collaboratively develop strategies for overcoming them.

Coffee break – Sponsored by Colombia