The Advantage Travel Partnership has become the first agency to partner with the Safer Tourism Foundation.
The charity was established in 2016, 10 years after children Bobby and Christi Shepherd died from carbon monoxide poisoning while on a Thomas Cook holiday in Corfu.
Bobby and Christi’s mother, Sharon Wood, has worked with the travel industry following the tragedy to develop the foundation, with Thomas Cook providing the initial funding.
The charity has worked closely with a number of tour operators since its inception – but Advantage chief commercial officer Kelly Cookes announced that the consortium has become the charity’s first agency partner at its annual conference in Benidorm today (May 22).
Cookes said: “We are delighted to be launching an exclusive partnership with the Safer Tourism
Foundation.
“Over the coming weeks we will communicate with members how they can be involved with the foundation, and we will also develop a pledge that members can sign up to, to showcase the importance that they place on guiding customers through every step of their travel experience, building confidence and expertise across all health and safety aspects of taking a holiday.”
Chief executive of the Safer Tourism Foundation, Katherine Atkinson, said: “Agents play a critical role in helping people make decisions about the holiday that will suit them best, and they are trusted sources of information as people plan for their trip.
“Advantage is a great partner for Safer Tourism as a charity because of its scale and range of members. Working together, we hope to be able to reach as many customers as possible so that all of them have fantastic, trouble-free holidays.”
Pictured: Katherine Atkinson, chief executive of the Safer Tourism Foundation