Travelscene’s John Harding has been elected the new president of ABTA, replacing Stephen Bath with immediate effect.
Mr Harding beat off competition from two rival candidates Gwyn Hughes (P&O Travel) and Sandy MacPherson (Voyager Travel).
Eighteen ABTA directors participated in the vote, but the association declined to reveal how many votes each candidate received.
Mr Harding told TravelMole: “I’m very pleased. I worked hard for it and to convince people what I thought were the priorities that the association should be working towards and I think that people were convinced.”
He told TravelMole that tackling fraud, working towards a “level playing field” with the low cost airlines and reducing bonding costs would be his three key objectives in his new post. Mr Harding added: “I have been on the board for a long time – 14 terms in the last 18 years and I am well aware of the key issues we face.”
ABTA Chief Executive Ian Reynolds said: “The President should be one who can represent the industry and command respect – both from within the Association and in the world outside – and John fulfils both these criteria admirably. We are delighted that he is taking over this important role and look forward to a successful year under his leadership.”
