ABTA must bypass the UK government and go straight to the European Commission over the issue of protection, chairman Justin Fleming told convention delegates.
“The government is clearly not interested in bringing in the protection that we all want, so we need to lobby Brussels which is currently looking at reviving the outdated Package Travel Directive,” he said.
“We have to work very hard to ensure that we get out of that a proper, new directive which provides protection and repatriation if a company fails, that is funded by a simple levy system and handled by one body.”
He said once this is achieved, ABTA and other associations can divest themselves and focus on being a lobbying force.
“We will then be in a much better position to be a trade association and to build one common interest lobbying association.”
By Bev Fearis
