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Maureen Men in uniform and a celebrity
chef, what more can you ask for? Page 41
Would you stick with ABTA?
Should you stay
or should you go?
Read the facts and
fi gures below to
help you decide
which association
is for you
WHY LEAVE ABTA WHY STAY WITH ABTA
?
● Size – ABTA members include the major travel companies,
swelling revenue and adding their own resources and
expertise. The top 10 members provide 20% of ABTA’s
income – subsidising services to independent agents.
● Strength in numbers – a majority of agents are likely to
remain ABTA members for the foreseeable future.
● Code – ABTA’s code of conduct and arbitration service
ensure good practice and cut potential legal costs.
● Lobbying – ABTA employs a full-time lobbyist and lobbies
in Brussels through pan-European association ECTAA.
● TTA Worldchoice represents 800 agents – 360 in
Worldchoice, the remainder in the Travel Trust Association.
However, these operate diff erent business models.
● Membership – Worldchoice members are solely
independent agents. ABTA includes traditional agents and
online newcomers, tour operators and other suppliers,
major groups and retail chains. Worldchoice will not have to
deal with confl icting interests.
● Representation – agents make up the majority of ABTA
members, but the ABTA board includes just one elected
representative of agents with an annual turnover less than
£20 million. TUI Travel and Thomas Cook both hold
unelected places on the board.
● Listening to members – ABTA’s decision to cut the size of its
board and agents’ representation in 2007 went through with
the support of barely one in 10 members in a poll.
Worldchoice says its size allows it to listen to members and
respond.
● Protection – Worldchoice says it will off er 100% customer
protection to agents who want it, including protection
against fraud. ABTA withdrew fraud protection in 2006.
TTA members already enjoy this through the TTA’s trust
arrangements.
● Cost – ABTA subscription rates rose by up to 39% for the
smallest members last year and by an average 34% for
consortia members, albeit following a six-year freeze.
Worldchoice says it can undercut ABTA’s subscription rates
by at least £250 a year.
● Growth – the TTA has expanded from nothing in 1993 and
forecasts a 10% rise in membership this year. ABTA’s
membership is in long-term decline.
● Public relations and lobbying – TTA Worldchoice employs
former ABTA head of PR Keith Betton as a freelance
consultant.
● ABTA represents more than 1,400 members with 5,900
outlets – including Worldchoice members – which sell 90%
of overseas package holidays.
● Brand – ABTA has more than 50 years of branding behind
it. A 2008 poll found 75% of consumers recognise the ABTA
name. Its profi le is swelled by advertising campaigns and
hundreds of media interviews each year. The association’s
consumer department handled 20,000 enquiries in 2008.
Half the calls were to check whether a company was an
ABTA member.
● Cost – ABTA may appear costly, but an alternative that is
£250 a year cheaper puts the price of the ABTA logo at little
more than £20 a month.
● Services – independent agents make the most use of ABTA’s
services. ABTA’s legal service reports saving one member
£2 million.
● Regulatory role – by acting as a regulator in certain areas
ABTA saves members additional costs and prevents tighter
regulation.
● Support and guidance – ABTA off ers operational support in
a crisis, guidance on health and safety and sustainable
tourism, helplines on VAT and employment.
March 6 2009 | Travel Weekly | 3
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