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Interview: David Michels, chief executive, Hilton International group
Michels tells tourism leaders: Crisis will pass
Hotel boss David Michels (left) has urged tourism businesses not to get downhearted by the current bookings crisis and told them to have faith in their products.
Hilton International group chief executive Michels gave a rousing speech to delegates at the British Incoming Tour Operators’ Association conference in Edinburgh and told them the threat of war that has hit bookings would not
last forever.
“We are popular in the US. I know they are not queuing up to come over here at the moment, but that gives us the chance to get our act together,” he said.
“It’s easy for you to get downhearted, there is a lot of talk of disaster. But someone has to get the tourism business and why shouldn’t it be you?
“The doom makers say no-one is moving. That’s nonsense, it’s just that less are. But nothing is forever and we will get through this and look back to 2003 as the year it started to get better.”
Michels said everyone needed to offer good service, which helped get repeat business, but said this alone did not make people travel.
“People don’t wake up and say ‘I must have good service today.’ People wake up and want to go on holiday, but anything we can do to build up the image of the country and then back it up with good service is a benefit.”
While others called for more government intervention to help the industry, Michels told ministers to leave tourism alone.
“Our egos would love there to be a tourism industry,” he said. “But we’ve grown the industry with no interference. In my experience, the more government gets involved with something, the shorter the lifespan. We have survived without many government grants.
“But we would like government interference in the transport system to help people get around.”
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