This letter is submitted by Imtiaz Longi in his official capacity as Joint Head of Travel Group, Vantis
Dear Editor, The CAA’s proposal of a £1 levy Consumer Protection Charge maybe the new way forward in the current regulatory framework that ATOL companies have to abide by but it could be at least a few years before it has enough funds to cover a failure. I’m afraid this course of action must not be construed as the “magic wand” which will do away with the current licensing and bonding system. We will need to replace the existing system with water-tight, tough regulatory procedures so that it can work effectively in favour of the consumers and thereby reduce this unfair burden on the operators and create a level playing field. The CAA must monitor the new system and its procedures so that no one dares to manipulate and bypass the new ATOL regulatory system. At present we have a number of growing travel organisers who do not have an ATOL or ABTA and this divide is expanding rather than contracting. The current bonding system is effective to some degree but we have yet to see that the new CPG levy would offer a complete replacement; only time will tell. A number of bonded operators out there believe that this is the answer to all their problems, but you only need a few non-bonded operators to take the unfair advantage and bypass the ATOL regime. My view is that we all need to put our heads together to ensure that we have a better system in place for the future. Yours sincerely Imtiaz Longi Joint Head of Travel Group Licensing and Bonding VANTIS NM LLP London
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