The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, announces the results of its latest GBTA BTI™ Outlook - Western Europe report, a semi-annual analysis of the five most critical business travel markets in Europe: Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain.

Michael Hirst OBE has been elected as the new Chairman of the Tourism Alliance, the tourism industry’s umbrella body, representing over fifty organisations. He succeeds Brigid Simmonds OBE, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association.

Michael Hirst is Chairman of the Business Visits & Events Partnership and a former Chairman and Chief Executive of Hilton international. His career spans the broad range of tourism activities, including holiday and leisure centres, restaurants, pubs, and attractions.

David Tremmil, vice chair of beam and UKEVENTS, spills the beans on his dual role - and reveals why government advocacy is so vital for the sector today on an interview with M&IT (first published here).

VisitBritain Business Events releases 2024 Delegate Spend Report: delegate expenditure has increased by 75% since 2017.

Editor’s letter - In today’s economic climate, with recruitment challenges and tighter budgets becoming the norm, the need to close the industry’s skills gap has never been more important. From hands-on technical roles to strategic leadership, nurturing the next generation of talent is critical to keeping the events industry resilient, innovative, and inclusive.