Abta has issued figures that it insists refute reports last week that its new membership fee structure favours large operators over smaller agencies.
Mike Monk, the head of the association’s financial services, said following the introduction of the new fee structure this month, 749 members were paying the same or less, while 537 members would have seen an increase in subscriptions.
He said that any rises were as a result of increased turnovers of members particularly larger tour operators, which have seen turnovers grow due to their economies of scale.
Monk said: “The businesses that have benefited the most from this new system tend to be the smaller members, who are often agencies, as their payments have gone down.”
Peter Buckell of Global Travel Lounge admitted he was double checking with Abta about his fees, having previously claimed they had gone up 40%.
The new charges mean all Abta members pay a basic subscription of £750, plus £15.50 for every £100,000 of turnover generated thereafter. The new system was introduced to simplify fees following changes made to the classification of Atol sales.