| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/04/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 3 |
| Copyright: Other |
New media prompts ABTA to revise code
ABTA has revised its code of conduct in a bid to regulate companies selling travel using new media.The code has been extended to cover Web sites, interactive TV, mobile phones with Internet access, CD-ROMs and e-mail.
And the definitions of ‘advertising’ and ‘brochure’ have been changed to cover new media as well as old.
Head of legal services Ricardo Nardi said the new code would be submitted to the Office of Fair Trading for approval. It will also be sent to TrustUK, a new body set up by the Government to accredit on-line codes of conduct across different industries.
Nardi said that if TrustUK approved its code, all ABTA members would be able to use the TrustUK symbol on their Web sites alongside the ABTA logo, to show customers they were reputable companies.
“What is important is that consumers trust who they are dealing with. Trust is key,” he said. “We hope they will see our symbol and TrustUK’s symbol and have confidence in making bookings.”
Anite Travel Systems head of marketing Howard Frost, whose company provides e-commerce technology to tour operators, said he supported ABTA’s attempts to regulate travel Web sites.
He claimed that at present, many companies were not delivering what they promised.
“Five years ago, the industry’s reputation was poor because of misleading information in brochures – a situation the industry has rectified through diligence and painstaking quality control,” he said
“It is critical that we move quickly to prevent history repeating itself with Web sites. Despite what they say, most sites offering bookable packages provide no such thing.”
Frost would like feedback from the industry. His address is howard.frost@anitesystems.com.
Report by TANYA JEFFERIES
Advent of sales via Web and digital TV brings about need for new rules
What the new code says:n Adequate security must be in place to cover electronic bookings.
n Unsolicited e-mails are banned.
n If on-line bookings are accepted, there must be an on-line complaints facility.
n Data Protection Act information must be generally available.
n Information on what protection ABTA offers must be included.