A Spanish hidden gem, panic versus peace, and the pitfalls and promises of artificial intelligence: what were the key takeaways from AITO's 2025 overseas conference?
1. Awe-striking Asturias
A collective 'Wow' emerged from delegates arriving in Asturias: despite the Spanish Tourist Office's ongoing campaign, 'Think you know Spain? Think again' promising an expectation-shifting experience in Spain's lesser-visited regions, few anticipated the unique charm, authentically-Spanish (with those ordering at the bar on the conference's opening night largely resorting to Spanglish to get by), and familiar whimsy of the British Isles' more remote lands that would greet them at the host destination.
Asturian traditions of cider-farming and bagpipe-blowing, which call back to the arrival of Celtic 'Astures' during the Iron Age, its landscape comprised of gorgeous coastal troughs and green peaks, reflective of its unique geological makeup (largely due to its location between the Cantabrian Mountains and the Bay of Biscay), and its Spanish small-town charm combines to create a cocktail in equal parts familiar, remote, offbeat and lush: not to mention the 'if-you-know-you-know' joy of being let in on a Spanish tourism secret.
The Blau Hotel Las Caldas, an 18th century spa-hotel, played host to AITO's 2025 conference.
In his opening address, Spanish Tourist Office London deputy director Pedro Medina spoke to the destination's inarguable status as a hidden gem. "Every year, 18 million Brits come to Spain... but only less than 40,000 of those come to Asturias.
"I feel envious of those teenagers who have never read The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie, or those who have never watched The Godfather. I feel that Asturias is exactly the same: a jewel to be discovered."
2. Keep calm and carry on
Travel Trade Consultancy managing director Martin Alcock had less than 48 hours post-budget to give his thoughts on the latest slate of legislation from Rachel Reeves & co.. Luckily, Martin said, there was less to worry about than first feared.
"Generally, I think we are in a very polarised world at the moment, and you will hear people argue until they are blue in the face about the different versions of the truth [following the budget].
"From my perspective, the budget announcement is about the 'least bad' budget we could have got. That is not exactly praise, but it is not nearly as awful as the rumours had led us to expect... we have been primed for a lot worse."
So how could the 'least bad' budget impact travel? Well, the writing may already be on the wall or, in this case, billboard. "We are probably seeing more travel companies embracing Black Friday than we have before. That is clearly a discount-led model, with lots of pors and cons... when you put that together with very late booking habits and discounting, are we going to start to see some more nervous panic and price drops again?"
Concluding, Martin said, "For me, the businesses that thrive going into next year are the ones that, ultimately, get their head up, make a plan, and stay clear headed."
3. Ding, ding: AI enters the ring to take on a human-centric industry
Impressive destination aside, AITO's 2025 overseas conference also promised to grapple the key issue of our time in travel–artificial intelligence–head on. Chair Chris Rowles opened the agenda, encouraging agents to "be not afraid of [AI]," but also questioning, "Are travel specialists about to come redundant? How can we harness the power and efficiency of this new technology? How can we thrive rather than just wither on the vine?"
One session, above all, saw the brawl between human and machine come to a head. Expert Africa's Chris McIntyre, Travel Stop's Bridget Keevil, Tasmanian Odyssey's Susie de Carteret, and Neural River (among others)'s Steve Endacott promised to give the agent, operator and industry-wide takes on the future of artificial intelligence.
Grappling with the session (and overall conference) theme, Chris described his view on 'The Algorithm vs. The Human Side of Travel' as "not an either/or... if I can get AI and tech to take out some of that [administrative] time of my work, I become much more efficient.
"I think I see AI a real adjunct to what we do, as an enabler, as something to make us faster, better and more efficient, but we are always going to need a little bit of that expertise on top."
Travel Stop MD Bridget Keevil exercises more caution in the face of innovation. "If I did not believe in going forward, I would still be using a typewriter and trying to book a holiday on Viewdata. I do agree that things come your way and you have to embrace them and use them, but only when you believe they are adding value, not just because they are there.
"If somebody tells me what AI can do that is going to benefit me, I'll do it."
Susie de Carteret's take as an operator is a divided one. "There are two different discussions going on with AI. The first is: should we be embracing AI in our workplaces and in our businesses? And the answer to that is yes, absolutely, of course we should.
"But the other discussion is the affect that AI is having on our customers and our potential customers. That is where, I think, we get into some very murky and dangerous territory, particularly when you are dealing with... incredibly complex itineraries."
As an investor in several AI businesses and (famously) an independent AI candidate at the last general election, Steve Endacott has embraced AI, but still encourages strategy and balance rather than full-on dystopian-Sci-Fi-style AI rollout.
"We're at that juncture where... you can't control it. The AI genie is out of the bottle... [but] if your leader of the business doesn't set the agenda on AI, it ain't going to work. You delegate it to the IT department, so many people do, or give it to the marketing department, as many people do, it will not work.
"Very simple tip: get your leadership team in the room, but also bring in maybe four or five younger people, and get a consultant to tell you what's possible under NDA, then work out what you can do with this stuff... it's only scary if you don't know what to do."
AITO's 2025 conference took place in Las Caldas, Asturias, Spain from November 27th to 30th, 2025.
