May I correct the wrong impression given by your article about agents being urged to quit the Nova Travel Group (Travel Weekly November 15). I am an member of Nova and I have never been urged to quit the group. You refer to the group being Newcastle based, but it’s obvious that 57 Turners Hill, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, is not in Newcastle.
The Newcastle connection comes from the Association of European Travel Agents which is still very much alive. The merger between Nova and AETA was never fully consummated and as a result Paul Bagnol has been able to re-establish AETA’s complete independence, and offer membership to many stranded Nova members like Helensburgh Travel. Paul is to be congratulated on achieving this, as are the operators and consolidators who have been so fast to support this venture.
Alasdair Young
Helensburgh Travel
Scotland
n Editor’s note: we spoke to a number of Nova agents who said they had been advised to leave the consortium. Nova managing director Peter Kemp refused to comment on the subject and we stand by our story.