European travel agents’ and tour operators’ association ECTAA has urged the new European Commission to recognise the economic contribution of tourism and give it more priority in policymaking.
ECTAA issued a manifesto for policymakers last month, noting: “Travel advisors hold a significant role for consumers, both leisure and business. They offer choice and transparency . . . and are commonly seen as a ‘one stop shop’ for travel arrangements.
“They can also play a vital role in affecting changes in behaviours and attitudes towards more sustainable forms of tourism by integrating sustainability in their selection of suppliers.”
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The association noted agents and operators have “evolved from simple intermediaries into expert guides within a complex travel system” and suggested they will “take on a more important role than ever as people demand more tailored, sustainable and ethical alternatives to traditional tourism offerings”.
However, ECTAA argued: “They are held back by an uncompetitive market [and] the market dominance of suppliers” leading to “concerns about the assurance of consumer choice and transparency”, in particular when selling flights.
It insisted: “Travel advisors need guaranteed access to comprehensive travel content on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.”
Referring to the EC revision of the Package Travel Directive – on which the UK Package Travel Regulations are based – ECTAA called on policymakers to “avoid imposing prepayment limitations” as proposed in a review of the directive, arguing that “unlike direct purchases from suppliers, packages already offer financial protection against organiser insolvency”.
Instead, it called for the introduction of Airline Failure Protection, noting: “There is no obligation on airlines to provide guarantees or any other protection for the refund and repatriation of stranded passengers when they cease operations.
“This is a serious consumer detriment and distorts competition between airlines and tour operators.”
The ECTAA manifesto argues: “Tourism has shown remarkable resilience and continues to grow despite numerous crises. However, the flipside of this is that certain regions suffer over tourism.”
Noting sustainability “is essential for the long-term success of the sector”, ECTAA called for “creation of a dedicated budget for tourism to invest in the sustainable transition” and for the European Parliament to set up a tourism task force.
It urged EU decision makers to prioritise tourism in policymaking, noting the sector generates more than 10% of EU GDP.
ECTAA represents travel associations across the EU, comprising 80,000 agencies and tour operators with a collective turnover of €197 billion, selling 300 million air tickets and 210 million package holidays a year.
Abta remains an affiliate ECTAA member, having been a full member until Britain left the EU.