The Elite Travel Group will be not be renewing its ATOL licence when it expires in September.
Chairman Wayne Darrock said the consortium’s bond, which covers around 5,000 passengers a year, will be allowed to expire, and members who dynamically package will instead be covered by Advantage Travel Centres’ bond.
Speaking at the Loving Andalucia British Tourist Trade Forum in Malaga last week, Darrock said the move has been made possible following last year’s decision for Elite to share commercial arrangements with Advantage.
He said: “Around 10% of members’ business is dynamic packaging, and it will still be fully covered by the Advantage ATOL bond.”
Elite commercial manager Julie Franklin said the decision comes as the consortium prepares to launch two initiatives, Elite Hotels and Elite Cruise, as well as relaunch its dynamic packaging website, all within the next month.
She said Elite Hotels will allow members to search a bookable database of about 10,000 properties, which can then be booked separately or as part of a dynamic package.
Franklin added Elite Cruise will be an online search system featuring the product of up to 10 cruise companies and is designed to highlight the ships, their features and itineraries.
She said: “We are giving agents something they need rather than going to lots of individual cruise companies (to find and make a booking).”
Franklin said the consortium’s dynamic packaging site was taken down in December in order to improve the technology.
Darrock said following a meeting on May 11, the Elite board has voted to reduce the number of seats from eight to six in November when the positions some up for renewal.