DIRECT Holidays is expected to continue its controversial
campaign to mock travel agents following its decision to quit ABTA.
The operator’s departure marks the culmination of a
simmering row between the two organisations which kicked off after Direct Holidays
screened a television campaign depicting travel agents as parrots offering no
value to customers.
The Airtours-owned operator was subsequently fined £25,000
by ABTA for muddying the body’s “reputation, standing and good name”.
Although the company is not repeating its previous advert,
Direct Holidays marketing director Robin Parry refused to rule out a similar
campaign in future.
“ABTA was interfering in how we transmitted our message. We
are now free to put it across how ever we like,” he said.
Both ABTA chief executive Ian Reynolds and president Stephen
Bath said they regretted Direct Holidays’ decision to leave and warned their
clients would be put off by the absence of the organisation’s “reassuring”
logo.