The boss of Attraction Tickets Ltd has blasted Abta as he announced the attraction ticket provider has quit the association.
Oliver Brendon, chief executive and founder of the company – which trades as DoSomethingDifferent.com and AttractionTickets.com – blamed his move on Abta’s “hugely inflated subscription fees”, along with “its seeming refusal to cut inflated costs, its grossly unfair bonding scheme and its ineffectual lobbying”.
The company has joined the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) so it can continue to offer full financial protection via a bond on non-flight holiday packages.
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Commenting on Abta’s annual membership fees, he said: “When it came to renewing membership in 2021 (which should have been based on 2020 gross turnover), Abta simply changed the rules for existing members and fixed membership fees based on 2019 gross turnover.
“For my company, this meant an unjustified and unexpected cost of over £50,000 at precisely the time when we – and the whole industry – could least afford it.”
He highlighted how his company, along with most others in the sector, had to cut as many costs as possible during the pandemic – but points out that Abta’s staff numbers remained “largely flat” at 98, with a total salary bill of about £6 million.
Looking at Abta’s latest accounts, he added: “The number that really stands out though is the renumeration of the highest paid director of Abta [chief executive Mark Tanzer], which for the year ending June 2021 was £315,000.”
He described Abta’s lobbying during the pandemic as “misdirected”, saying the association had warned of a swathe of bankruptcies if there was no sector-specific support.
“This doomsday scenario did not transpire,” he added.
“Their lobbying would have been more productive if it had focussed on the inevitable post-Covid chaos at our ports and airports.
“Most importantly though, to lobby effectively, you need passion and complete dedication to the cause.
“If you are sitting on a protected £315k+ annual remuneration package and not personally suffering the impact of Covid and government policy, I cannot see how you will ever feel the necessary outrage on behalf of your members.”
He also claimed the Abta logo has no impact on booking conversions, having tested sales with and without the logo.
“Fortunately, the bond insurance market for travel has eased. Members now have a choice,” he concluded.
An Abta spokesperson said: “It is always regrettable when a member chooses to resign their membership of Abta and we will always keep the door open to companies which leave the association.
“Companies who resign from membership no longer benefit from the many services our members tell Abta they value, as well as the widespread recognition and respect that the travelling public has for the Abta logo, with our research showing 73% of people are more likely to book with an Abta member than a non-member.”
More: Comment: Why Attraction Tickets resigned from Abta
Abta chief defends hike in members’ subscriptions