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What next for ABTA-FTO?
TravelMole Guest Comment by Federation of Tour Operators director general Andy Cooper
So it’s finally happened! After several years of speculation, the board of FTO and ABTA have agreed that the time is right to amalgamate the two organisations.
So why now?
ABTA is a broad church, attempting to reconcile and represent many different interests – tour operator and travel agent; FTSE 100 companies and retail shops with only one or two employees etc. In the past, the larger tour operators were concerned that they would not always be able to have their message put effectively by ABTA, and felt the need for a separate voice – FTO.
There are occasions where that separate voice may still be required, but in recent years it has become clear that the issues which unite the membership are more compelling than those which divide us.
As a result, we have been able to design an organisational structure which allows the large operators to continue to be supported by FTO, but within ABTA, and they can therefore throw their full weight and support behind the new organisation.
This has a huge benefit for all members of the organisation. By providing clarity and certainty of voice, ABTA become stronger and with increased commitment, its credibility can only improve.
Yes, there will understandably be cynics who will claim that ABTA will cease to be the voice of the small agent – and we have already seen those views expressed on TravelMole, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.
ABTA fully recognises the need to be a strong voice for all its members, and to focus strongly on the issues which concern those members.
Over the next year, we will be implementing a strategy which recognises and reflects the interests of the membership as a whole, enables lessons to be learnt and skills to be used between the two organisations for the benefits of all.
As I said at the start, ABTA has always been a broad church, so our skill now will be to focus the congregation on the importance of singing loudly and tunefully to the same hymn sheet.
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