The 1950s laid the foundations of modern UK Travel. Foreign travel was still limited in the early part of the decade due to currency restrictions, but domestic tourism thrived, with British seaside resorts attracting large numbers of holidaymakers. Travel agencies focused largely on rail travel, cross‑Channel ferries and escorted coach tours, while air travel was mainly reserved for business travellers and the wealthy. As living standards slowly improved and paid holidays became more common for workers, demand for leisure travel increased, laying the foundations for the growth of package holidays and mass international travel that would develop in the late 1950s and beyond.
1956 was not only the birth year of ITT (known as ITA at that stage) but also the birth of AI. John McCarthy, an American computer scientist, coined the term "artificial intelligence". He used it to define the field for the seminal 1956 Dartmouth Conference.
In February 1956, a personal letter to agency executives was issued – from ABTA Chairman, James Maxwell – to announce the formation of the Institute of Travel Agents (ITA) and applications for membership began.
In April 1956, Col H. Gardiner becomes the first Member of the ITA. He was issued with honorary membership in recognition of his hard work and negotiations for setting on the Institute. Until his retirement in 1954 he was the general manager of Thos. Cook and Son.
In August 1957, the first fourteen successful candidates to pass the ITA exams were awarded with their certificates by George Fortune, Chairman of the Association of British Travel Agents.
Lord Colyton becomes the President of the ITA in August 1957.
The first ITA Committee Meeting is held in London in November 1957 and attended by 150 travel agents. The Chairman of the committee was Col. H. Robinson.