NEWS
Contents
06.03.2009
NEWS
Cruise
Travel Weekly supports
12
sustainability
Analysis
24
World Water Day
OPINION
32
Simon Calder 37
LETTERS 39
MAUREEN 41
WEEK IN PICS 42
HOW TO… 44
MYSTERY SHOPPER 46
DESTINATIONS
Asia 49
Europe 57
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Worldchoice remains confi dent agents will join its cheaper trade association
ABTA: Members are
happy with service
IanTaylor
ian.taylor@rbi.co.uk
ABTA has hit back at claims
that agents are ready to quit to
join an alternative group,
despite at least 24 members
seeking applications to take up
the Worldchoice offer of life
outside the association.
Worldchoice unveiled a new
category of membership last
week that it claims will give
agents an independent voice
and services to match ABTA’s
for at least £250 a year less
than an ABTA subscription.
The consortium aims to
have the scheme in place by
May ahead of ABTA’s June subscription
renewal and has
started talks to sign additional
suppliers to the Worldchoice
payment system ACAS.
ABTA responded by stressing
its success as a “super
brand” and reporting a 51%
“If Worldchoice
can do everything
we do for £250 less,
I will be interested
to know how”
Agents warn TTA Worldchoice
Worldchoice agents considering
defecting to the consortium’s
new ABTA alternative
have warned TTA Worldchoice
that it must step up its marketing
efforts if it is to rival the
well-known ABTA brand.
Many agents are attracted
to the new scheme because
they claim ABTA is failing to
support the trade. Some claim
Tanzer: ‘High level of satisfaction
among members’
rise in membership in the six
months to December 2008 compared
with the previous year.
Chief executive Mark Tanzer
said: “Our membership
research shows a high level of
satisfaction. It suggests members,
including Worldchoice
members, are happy with what
ABTA provides.
“I am concerned if there are
ABTA is not providing value
for money and are keen to
make the £250 saving Worldchoice
promises to offer.
Plymouth-based Peter
Goord Travel proprietor
Anthony Goord said agents
were looking at their costs and
that ATOL had superseded
ABTA bonding in importance
among customers.
ABTA members feeling they do
not enjoy value for money or
are not properly represented.
But a lot of what I have heard
is short on specifi cs. I am not
complacent, but this is as much
to do with the politics of the
consortium as with ABTA.”
However, Worldchoice
managing director Simon
Hargreaves said: “We expected
between 10 and 20 members to
show an interest but reached
the mid-20s in those wanting
to apply on Monday. That is a
good start. We are designing
this around the dissatisfaction
with ABTA.
He said: “ATOL’s profi le is
much higher as a logo during
the recession than ABTA.
Bonding is important, but
where it comes from is not as
important.
“If your consortium can
cover you as well as ABTA and
it’s less expensive, you’d be
silly not to look at it.”
Edgware-based Sabra Travel
“I would expect to get more
in following years,” he said.
The scheme is exclusive to
Worldchoice members for now.
Hargreaves insisted: “We have
done the numbers and we can
save members at least £250.
There could be much bigger
savings – it will depend on the
cost of including the risk of a
business.”
Tanzer queried whether this
was possible. “If Worldchoice
can do everything we do for
£250 less, I will be interested
to know how. I estimate the
ABTA name alone is worth
more than £250 a year.”
But Hargreaves said:
“Agents will decide how much
they value the ABTA brand. We
have started talking to operators.
There will be a decision to
make in May.”
> For more on Worldchoice’s
new trade scheme go to
www.travelweekly.co.uk
director Katy Savvides also
favoured the move. “A lot of
agents were hoping something
like this would happen when
Worldchoice teamed up with
the TTA,” she said. “ABTA is a
well-known brand, but if the
TTA invests in marketing and
enough agents switch over, it
will become a household name
as well.”
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