Helen Tustin Joins ABTA Board as Richard Slater Steps Down After Three-Year Term

ABTA has appointed Helen Tustin, founder of Wellbeing Travel and a longstanding regional representative, to its Board of Directors with immediate effect. Her appointment brings extensive travel industry experience and an independent business perspective to the organisation, following the completion of Richard Slater’s three-year term on the Board.

Helen Tustin has joined the ABTA Board of Directors with immediate effect, bringing 45 years of travel industry experience to the organisation at a time when independent travel businesses continue to play an important role across the UK market.

Tustin is the founder of Wellbeing Travel and has served as the Wales region chair on ABTA’s Council of Regions since 2012. Her long association with ABTA gives her direct experience of the issues facing members, while her background in an independent travel business provides a perspective from outside the organisation’s central leadership structure.

Her appointment was made after she was selected by fellow regional chairs on the Council of Regions to be put forward for a position on the Board.

Why has Helen Tustin been appointed to the ABTA Board?

Tustin’s appointment strengthens the Board’s representation of independent travel businesses and regional members. Her four decades of experience in the travel sector also provide a substantial industry background that can support discussions around the challenges and opportunities facing ABTA members.

The new Board member has already spent many years contributing to ABTA through her role as Wales region chair on the Council of Regions. That experience means she is familiar with the organisation’s regional structure and the concerns raised by businesses operating across different parts of the UK.

For ABTA, her appointment also provides continuity between its regional membership network and Board-level decision-making.

Tustin said she was proud to join the Board after 45 years in travel and highlighted her commitment to the wider industry. She also pointed to the importance of bringing an independent travel business perspective to the organisation.

What experience does Helen Tustin bring?

Tustin brings extensive practical experience from the travel sector through her leadership of Wellbeing Travel, alongside more than a decade representing Wales through ABTA’s Council of Regions.

Her experience is particularly relevant to the independent travel sector, where businesses often operate with different commercial priorities and challenges from larger travel groups. Independent retailers and agencies can face pressures around costs, staffing, customer expectations, regulation and changing booking behaviour.

Having represented a regional constituency within ABTA since 2012, Tustin is also positioned to understand how national industry developments affect businesses at a local level.

Her role on the Board will therefore extend an existing relationship with ABTA rather than represent a new connection with the organisation.

What did Helen Tustin say about her appointment?

Tustin said she was proud to take on the new responsibility and stressed her long-term commitment to the travel industry.

“After 45 years in travel, I’m incredibly proud to be joining the ABTA Board,” she said.

She added that she was passionate about the industry and looked forward to using her experience and independent travel business perspective to support ABTA and its members.

Her comments underline the role she expects to play in representing the interests of businesses within the wider ABTA membership while contributing to the organisation’s strategic discussions.

The appointment also reflects the established role of the Council of Regions in helping bring regional and member perspectives into ABTA’s governance.

Why is Richard Slater leaving the ABTA Board?

Tustin replaces Richard Slater, who is stepping down after completing his three-year term on the Board.

Slater has been particularly associated with representing smaller ABTA members and independent travel retailers during his time as a Board member. His departure therefore marks a change in representation, although ABTA says his relationship with the organisation will continue.

Reflecting on his time on the Board, Slater said he remained proud of his long association with ABTA and the contribution he had been able to make.

He highlighted his work representing smaller members and independent retailers, saying he had consistently sought to ensure their views were heard at Board level.

Slater also said he had not been afraid to ask challenging questions or raise issues that were important to independent businesses.

His comments point to the significance of independent representation within ABTA’s governance structure, particularly as the UK travel industry continues to evolve.

What did ABTA say about the leadership change?

ABTA Chair Ailsa Pollard welcomed Tustin to the Board and described her as a longstanding ABTA member whose experience and perspective would allow her to contribute immediately.

Pollard said Tustin was well placed to strengthen an already strong and effective Board working in the interests of ABTA members. Her comments also emphasise the value of experience gained through long-term participation in the organisation.

At the same time, Pollard thanked Slater for his contribution to Board discussions and recognised his continued support for ABTA.

She noted that Slater would remain a strong ABTA advocate, particularly through his media work. According to Pollard, his media activity regularly reinforces the importance and reassurance consumers can gain from booking with an ABTA member.

What could Tustin’s appointment mean for independent travel businesses?

Tustin’s arrival gives independent travel businesses a familiar representative with direct experience of operating within the sector. Her background may help ensure that the commercial realities faced by smaller businesses remain part of wider strategic conversations at ABTA.

Independent agencies continue to form an important part of the UK travel distribution landscape. They provide customers with specialist advice, destination knowledge and support throughout the booking journey, while also competing in a market increasingly shaped by online platforms, direct supplier sales and changing consumer expectations.

A Board member with long-standing independent sector experience can help connect these operational realities with ABTA’s broader policy, representation and member-support activities.

Tustin’s previous regional role also provides an established route for understanding concerns emerging among businesses beyond London and the largest travel industry centres.

What does the appointment mean for ABTA?

The appointment maintains ABTA’s connection between regional representation and Board-level governance while introducing a new voice following Slater’s departure.

For the association, the transition provides an opportunity to build on the experience of its outgoing Board member while bringing in someone with a long-standing relationship with its regional structure.

Tustin’s immediate appointment also means there is no gap in Board representation following the end of Slater’s three-year term.

Her combination of independent business experience, regional involvement and long service within the travel sector gives her a strong foundation from which to contribute to ABTA’s work.

The change comes as travel businesses across the UK continue to navigate evolving consumer behaviour, commercial pressures and an increasingly competitive distribution environment. Effective industry representation remains important as companies seek to balance customer service with changing market conditions.

A new voice for ABTA members

Helen Tustin’s appointment marks the latest change to ABTA’s Board and brings a long-serving regional representative into the organisation’s senior governance structure. Her experience with Wellbeing Travel and the Council of Regions provides a combination of independent business knowledge and established ABTA involvement.

Richard Slater’s departure closes a three-year period on the Board during which he focused strongly on smaller members and independent retailers. His continued advocacy for ABTA means the association retains a familiar voice outside the Board.

For ABTA members, particularly independent travel businesses, Tustin’s appointment provides continuity while creating an opportunity for fresh representation at Board level.