Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer reflects on the past 12 months as members’ ratings of the association go up. He spoke to Ian Taylor
A recent Abta members’ survey found 97% actively use the association’s logo in their marketing and suggested 88% are satisfied with the services they receive – up from 75% a year earlier.
The figures are included in a report, Your Year at Abta 2013-14, sent to members last week, which summarises Abta’s activity in the 12 months to April 30.
The survey, conducted online at the turn of the year, drew more than 250 responses – about 20% of the membership. Respondents rated the value they attach to benefits of Abta membership from one to 10. Ratings for nine out of the top 10 benefits were up year on year and the 10th, “Advice and guidance on changes to the law, tax or other rules” was on a par.
“Consumer trust in the Abta badge” was the most-valued benefit, followed by “consumer recognition of Abta”. Members rated Abta’s “representation and lobbying” in Westminster and Brussels in third place. This area saw the biggest year-on-year leap of any category.
Respondents also rated highly Abta’s “operational support” and “communications support” in a crisis, “provision of financial protection solutions”, legal and member services advice, provision of pipeline money protection, and “keeping members informed”.
Lobbying success
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer believes the association’s work at Westminster and Brussels produced some successes in the past year.
He said: “We’re pleased with where the Package Travel Directive has got to. We managed to head off some alarming features, such as the unilateral right to withdraw [from a booking].”
But there is still work to do. MEPs have made changes that would narrow the directive’s scope and Tanzer said: “It needs to be tighter. If a customer has bought a flight and accommodation as part of a single itinerary, it needs to be a package.”
MEPs also want an individual ‘force majeure’ entitlement to refunds for consumers, which could mean a client could argue ‘My circumstances have changed, I want my money back.’ Tanzer said: “How do you manage that? It would be difficult to administrate and expensive.”
The position on APD is more straightforward. The government finally bowed to industry pressure in the Budget when chancellor George Osborne announced a move from four bands to two from next April.
Tanzer said: “The Budget change was a victory. It represents a real saving and for the first time the government has acknowledged that APD is having a drag effect, otherwise there would have been no change.”
But the industry campaign A Fair Tax on Flying will continue. Abta head of communications Victoria Bacon said: “We acknowledged the government’s progress in changing the banding. It’s not to be under-estimated. But it is a sign that the tax is causing some damage and we’ll continue to focus on that. We’ve paused in direct attacks on the government, but the campaign will continue.
“There is still the anomaly of having to pay twice on domestic flights. We’re working on the next steps and will focus on activities in the run-up to the election.”
Media moves
Abta stepped up its media communications in the past year, both in response to events and in promotions such as the Early Bird booking campaign the association ran in January with Capital Radio.
This saw a series of 30-second advertisements encouraging consumers to look for the Abta logo when booking a holiday.
Tanzer said: “We got ourselves more into the media – particularly in the early morning.
“Capital was delighted [with the campaign] which had a strong, positive message.”
Crisis management
Responding when something happens in a destination is vital. Bacon said: “It’s important we get the industry perspective out there. We work with the Foreign Office and we’re often closer to what is happening [than other commentators].”
Tanzer added: “Consumers are aware of the brand and trust it. Abta’s visibility through the media is one of the things we’re best at.”
Abta’s consumer affairs team saw a significant increase in the number of calls it dealt with over the year – up from 11,000 to 19,000. The main reason was a move to a standard-rate phone number.
But Bacon said: “We are promoting consumer affairs. It’s important when we have seen an increase in Holiday Hit Squad- type TV programmes. This is an important channel for Abta.”