Abta has dismissed concerns about its ability to represent the industry and the impact on its finances after dnata brands Travel Republic and Travelbag quit the association last week.
Their departure follows that of lastminute this month. Yet Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer pointed out “we’ve never represented the whole industry” and insisted: “We remain by far the largest travel trade association [and] have an outstanding spread of the industry [in membership] including agents, package organisers, tour operators, cruise companies and accommodation providers.”
He told Travel Weekly: “Abta membership is a partnership between members and between the member and Abta where we work together to provide a quality experience and build customer confidence.
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“It has never been for everyone, but for those who share the value of working collaboratively for the benefit of the whole membership
and their customers.
“Not every business wants to sign up to Abta’s Code of Conduct, but those that do offer customers the assurance of service and support that Abta stands for.”
Tanzer insisted Abta retains “huge brand equity” and dismissed a suggestion it is consistently losing members, arguing: “Anyone thinking [there] is a wider issue with retaining members is wrong.
“We only release exact [membership] figures in our annual report, and [the latest] aren’t yet confirmed. [But] the year just gone is looking the best in five years for member retention. We continue to attract new members. We are in a strong position.”
He noted: “When you’re the largest association in your sector, some people inevitably take pot shots at you. [But] we’ve just won Travel Brand of the Year in the Travel Marketing Awards – the only association ever to do so. Research shows 81% of the public associate Abta with confidence and are much more likely to book with an Abta member than a non-member. It’s a shame when travel organisations choose not to benefit from that.”
Abta’s most recently published membership figures, for July 2022, showed it had 866 head office members and 450 independently owned, managed branch businesses.
Tanzer said: “A growing number of businesses have chosen to move to a managed branch model. That affects the number of head office members, but each organisation remains in membership.”