ABTA and FTO tie-up must be put back on the agenda

Comment by Jeremy Skidmore (www.jeremyskidmore.com)

Just two weeks away from the annual overseas drink up, there remains a huge question mark over whether ABTA has a future.

Following widespread criticism of the convention a couple of years ago, the 2005 event was a marked improvement. The ABTA bash has been repositioned as the travel convention (partly because so few agents turned up), and is all the better for it.

But a successful association needs to be able to offer more than just an annual conference.

The big operators are continuing to question the relevance of ABTA, and this will become a bigger issue as more of them deconstruct the package to sell components of a holiday.

Meanwhile, ABTA chucked out its unique selling point to holidaymakers when it said it could no longer promise to protect those who fall foul of fraudulent agents.

At best, ABTA will now only be seen by holidaymakers as independent arbitrators during disputes over holidays.

The future for ABTA is as a strong trade organisation that can effectively lobby the government on key issues. That’s why a merger with the Federation of Tour Operators is vital.

To the outsider, the industry is pathetic at lobbying – as has been said by a succession of so-called tourism ministers – because it has so many disparate voices.

There are some key issues facing the industry, not least over consumer protection and taxes to offset the damage to the environment, and there must be one strong, co-ordinated voice in the government’s ear.

ABTA wants a consumer levy to protect all holidays and flights, but the key FTO members are deconstructing protection for next year. ABTA believes a tax on flying is justified if the money goes directly to offsetting carbon emissions, but will the FTO have a different view?

It’s little wonder that the industry has had precious few successes in influencing government policy.

For too long, the FTO and ABTA have dithered about joining forces and continued to put the issue on the back burner.

My understanding is that ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer is keen for a merger, while there are reservations among the FTO hierarchy about whether a single association can deliver the same benefits to members.

The FTO has done some great work, notably in repatriating people from disaster areas, but why couldn’t one larger organisation be just as effective?

As long as there are lots of different bodies, we’ll probably have some great conferences, but little impact on the policies that matter to this industry.

What’s your view?