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ABTA refuses to defend ‘disgusting’ fee to attend Travel Convention
Travel agents are shocked at the fee to attend ABTA’s virtual Travel Convention, saying £125 for the one-day online event is too much.
Some have criticised the Association for charging its members anything at all at a time when they are struggling to make ends meet.
Posting on social media, one said it was ‘disgusting charging members’, adding: "Don’t hit the folks already impacted financially."
Another said ABTA was ‘having a laugh’. One homeworker told TravelMole he had written to ABTA requesting free places for self-employed agents, many of whom didn’t qualify for any of the government’s coronavirus financial support packages.
ABTA declined to respond to the comments and refused to say how many members had signed up to the event on 14 October. The Association was forced to cancel its overseas convention, which was due to take place in Marrakech this year, due to coronavirus.
Instead, it will host a day-long event with speakers including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, Consular Director of the Foreign and Development Office Jennifer Anderson, Chair of the Star Alliance Julie Murphy and British Ambassador to Portugal Chris Sainty.
When TravelMole announced the line-up of speakers in an online article, which mentioned the £125 fee to members (and £249 for non-members), agent James Hill commented: "Has ABTA no idea that Agents have zero income this year?? How far removed from their members can the get??"
In a quick Twitter poll in which TravelMole asked if agents thought the fee was reasonable or a rip-off, more than 59% of the handful of respondents said it was a ‘rip-off’.
Fewer than 8% said they thought the fee was good value.
One TravelMole reader said £125 was ‘totally unreasonable while we are holding our heads above water, ABTA get real’, another suggested the fee was raised for non-members and members were given free access. One said charging £125 was ‘ridiculous, when we are trying to save every £ with barely any income since April’.
A few agents pointed out that there were other online travel events with a similar line up that were free for their members to attend, suh as The Institute of Travel Management one-day event next week, so questioned why anyone would pay an entry fee at all.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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