ABTA election heats up

The fight to become the next ABTA chairman is hotting up as both candidates reveal more about their priorities should they be elected.

All Leisure Group chairman Roger Allard has issued a statement saying his mission would be to reduce operating costs and red tape for ABTA members.

"I’d like to find a way to bring costs down for members, while maintaining protection for consumers and I want to look at the pointless ‘extra-bonding’ position (i.e. credit cards) many travel businesses find themselves in," he said.

"I want to de-burden members where possible and definitely not see more bonding charges – I want to reduce business operational costs and red tape for retailers and tour operators alike."

But his opponent, Sunvil managing director Noel Josephides, said while cutting costs is high on his and ABTA’s agenda, it’s not that straightforward.

"The effort to cut costs has been ongoing for many years and is part of ABTA’s current five-year plan," he said.

"However, we have to be realistic and it is pointless me promising something that may sound enticing but which I can’t deliver because of a lot of external factors over which I have no control.

"It is very difficult to make decisions on cost reductions before the industry has seen the proposed revisions to the Package Travel Directive, and the stance of the Government on the way forward over the possible replacement of the Air Travel Trust Fund," he said.

"We expect to see the proposed revisions to the Package Travel Directive sometime next month, and a call for evidence over the position of the Air Travel Trust Fund is now underway."

He said although cost reduction is important, equally important is the upgrading of ABTA’s financial security promise.

"The two go hand in hand. Simply to reduce costs is not the answer. We need to balance cost reduction with stability and to ensure equal benefits for all stakeholders.

"We must also ensure a level playing field between the overheads of those complying with the Package Travel Regulations and those, such as airlines, which stand outside the current system."

Both candidates agreed that restrictions on the sale travel insurance is a key focus.

"We must also look at insurance and examine why costs are going up, while those outside the ATOL scheme seem to benefit from immunity," said Allard.

Josephides said ABTA was already exerting considerable pressure to reduce the red tape around the sale of travel insurance.

"We want to convince the Government that travel agents are a vital link in the chain in selling such insurance; since agents have been precluded from doing so, the number of uninsured travellers has increased."

The voting process is scheduled to be completed in late June with an announcement of the successful candidate in early July.