The Association of Independent Tour Operators Specialist Travel Agents have been urged to attend AITO’s forthcoming key operator’s conference in November.
Speaking at the AITO Specialist Travel Agents overseas conference in Cyprus, AITO chairman Derek Moore said representatives from more than 20 tour operators are attending the agents’ conference, which began today.
This is in comparison to the last AITO operators’ conference held in Portugal which was attended by just two travel agents.
Addressing the agents, Moore said: “Perhaps you ought to think about coming to our conference and taking up that challenge as we’re now coming to your conference.”
He stressed that this would not shift the focus of the conference away from tour operators but would help to break down barriers between operators and agents and lead to the creation of more successful business partnerships between the two groups.
It would also fit in with the association’s current Closer Ties scheme which aims to drive more agents and operators to work together through better commission payments paid out by operators in return for more business from agents.