Export your expertise says ABTA

ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer wants British travel firms to use their expertise to break into foreign outbound markets with the association’s support.

Six months into his tenure, and with a number of domestic battles still to be fought over issues such as consumer protection, Tanzer revealed international ambitions for members and the association itself.

He told delegates at an Institute of Travel and Tourism dinner at the House of Commons on Tuesday that by exploiting online distribution channels UK firms could expand their horizons and ABTA itself could play a greater role internationally, particularly on environmental issues.

Singling out the opportunities in overseas markets such as China, Tanzer said he felt the trade was introspective and lacked awareness of the expertise it possessed.

“I want to raise people’s eyes to the possibilities. Making sure we get our share of that market is one of my objectives,” he said.

Under Tanzer, ABTA has started modernising and in January it capped its liabilities in the event of member failures and changed financial requirements on members to attract online firms.

Tanzer said change was happening rapidly and it was unrealistic for members to expect ABTA to be the enemy of the Internet. At one of his first regional meetings, he faced calls for an ad campaign to discourage Internet bookings which he described as a ‘King Canute moment’.

But he said attitudes are changing and agents who see no future in the Internet might be right to consider leaving the industry.

“If ABTA is to flourish, it has to represent the industry as it is going to be in the future. There are people who want things to remain the same as they¹ve always been, but I’m afraid in the long term that is a declining proposition,” he said.

Falling membership remains a problem, but Tanzer said the changes agreed in January indicated ABTA’s number-one priority was to reduce costly regulation to help members make money ahead of securing the association’s own future.