Worldchoice is consulting members on issues it wants ABTA to address ahead of a top-level meeting next month to hammer out key consortia agents’ needs.
ABTA head of finance Mike Monk has arranged to see consortia Worldchoice and Advantage ahead of a planned redrawing of the association’s financial criteria.
Worldchoice vice-president Keith Wilson is calling for a more streamlined ABTA board giving consortia equal weight with the big four operators.
“We are concerned the consortia do not have a place on the ABTA board. We believe at least two of the big four operators are using our members so the public can pick up brochures – they are tempting them to book direct,” he said.
Johnson Stevens Travel general manager Peter Cansick joined Worldchoice last month to urge it to lobby ABTA to stop operators discounting on line. “The consortium’s support would give the issue more clout,” he said.
Wilson added: “There should be a level playing field, so if tour operators want to use travel agents they should pay a reasonable commission.”
Worldchoice has stopped selling First Choice and Wilson believes Thomson will regret recent cuts in commission, calling the operator “short-sighted”. He said the consortium could fight back by switching customers from Thomson products.
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