ABTA’s annual event is a must

Letter of the week

ABTA’s annual event is a must

I was surprised to read in Travel Weekly (October 9) that First Choice is threatening to pull out of Kos and that Cosmos may scale down its ABTA activities.

ABTA should address the reasons for the disappointing levels before planning the next event.

Kos is not a winter sun destination. ABTA 2000 organisers should have taken this into consideration when deciding the location for this year’s event.

An agent knows that for most operators, the last outbound charter flight to Kos is on October 29 – why would they want to go there at the end of the season when the weather is variable? ABTAis a business event but it is nicer to do business in the sun.

The second reason I can see agents being discouraged to attend is the cost. Agents must feel a bit sickened to know they can get a week in the sun for the price of the ABTA event.

If attendance levels are significantly lower than anticipated, there should be some kind of compensation for sponsors, which will be the ones to lose out the most.

Despite the above, I would encourage agents to sign up for Kos as ABTA is one of the key events in the travel industry calendar. And although we can’t guarantee suntans, they will be charmed by the town and its people, and a glance at the programme of events lined up tells me there will be plenty to inform and entertain.

I would urge those who haven’t booked to do so.

Kim Wonnacott, sales and marketing manager,

Libra Holidays Group