The Elite Travel Group is to work with Advantage Travel Centres to use some of its financial services products.
The consortium’s 95 members already use the Central Advantage Payments Scheme (CAPS) to pay suppliers but is now looking to use more of Advantage’s services, such as its bonding facilities.
Elite chairman Wayne Darrock, who attended this year’s Advantage conference with director Chris Turner, denied there were plans for a more formal tie-up.
“There are no plans at this time. The key thing for us is we realise there are elements where Advantage has been there and done it and there’s no point us trying to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “If agents are looking at getting their own ATOL there could be added value for our members.”
Wayne added: “After Worldchoice decided to switch us off their payments system 12 months ago, Advantage approached us and offered us the opportunity to use CAPS. Realistically that started us thinking about financial services.”
Elite and Advantage also “share information” – not deals – on suppliers and maintain regular dialogue, he said.
Darrock added members could expect a “much stronger and more commercially focused” Elite consortium in future.
Meanwhile, Elite says it has been approached by ten agents with a view to joining the consortium in the last week. Most of the agents are currently in Worldchoice.