NEWS — SPECIAL REPORT
Mark Tanzer: ‘Consumers
trust the brand’
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer reflects on the past 12 months as members’ ratings of the association go up. He spoke to IAN TAYLOR
A recent Abta members’ survey found 97% actively use the association’s logo in their marketing and suggested 88% are satisfied with the services they receive – up from 75% a year earlier. The figures are included in a
report, Your Year at Abta 2013-14, sent to members last week, which summarises Abta’s activity in the 12 months to April 30. The survey, conducted online at the turn of the year, drew more than 250 responses – about 20% of the membership. Respondents rated the value they attach to benefits of Abta membership from one to 10. Ratings for nine out of the top 10 benefits were up year on year and the 10th, “Advice and guidance on changes to the law, tax or other rules” was on a par. “Consumer trust in the Abta badge” was the most-valued benefit, followed by “consumer recognition of Abta”. Members rated Abta’s “representation and lobbying” in Westminster and Brussels in third place. This area saw the biggest year-on-year leap of any category. Respondents also rated highly
Abta’s “operational support” and “communications support” in a crisis, “provision of financial protection solutions”, legal and member services advice, provision of pipeline money protection, and “keeping members informed”.
Lobbying success Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer believes the association’s work at Westminster and Brussels produced some successes in the past year.
in the Budget We’ve
paused in direct attacks on the government but the APD
campaign will continue
He said: “We’re pleased with where the Package Travel Directive has got to. We managed to head off some alarming features, such as the unilateral right to withdraw [from a booking].” But there is still work to do.
MEPs have made changes that would narrow the directive’s scope and Tanzer said: “It needs to be tighter. If a customer has bought a flight and accommodation as part of a single itinerary, it needs to be a package.” MEPs also want an individual
‘force majeure’ entitlement to refunds for consumers, which could mean a client could argue ‘My circumstances have changed, I want my money back.’ Tanzer said: “How do you manage that? It would be difficult to administrate and expensive.” The position on APD is more
straightforward. The government finally bowed to industry pressure
10 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 5 June 2014
when chancellor George Osborne announced a move from four bands to two from next April. Tanzer
said: “The
Budget change was a victory.
It represents a real saving and for the
first time the government has acknowledged that APD is having a drag effect, otherwise there would have been no change.” But the industry campaign A
Fair Tax on Flying will continue. Abta head of communications Victoria Bacon said: “We acknowledged the government’s progress in changing the banding. It’s not to be under-estimated. But it is a sign that the tax is causing some damage and we’ll continue to focus on that. We’ve paused in direct attacks on the government, but the campaign will continue. “There is still the anomaly of
having to pay twice on domestic flights. We’re working on the next steps and will focus on activities in the run-up to the election.”
Media moves Abta stepped up its media communications in the past year, both in response to events and in
Crisis management Responding when something happens in a destination is vital. Bacon said: “It’s important we get the industry perspective out there. We work with the Foreign Office and we’re often closer to what is happening [than other commentators].” Tanzer added: “Consumers are
aware of the brand and trust it. Abta’s visibility through the media is one of the things we’re best at.” Abta’s consumer affairs team saw a significant increase in the number of calls it dealt with over the year – up from 11,000 to 19,000. The main reason was a move to a standard-rate phone number. But Bacon said: “We are
promoting consumer affairs. It’s important when we have seen an increase in Holiday Hit Squad- type TV programmes. This is an important channel for Abta.”
promotions such as the Early Bird booking campaign the association ran in January with Capital Radio. This saw a series of 30-second
advertisements encouraging consumers to look for the Abta logo when booking a holiday. Tanzer said: “We got ourselves
more into the media – particularly in the early morning. “Capital was delighted [with the
campaign] which had a strong, positive message.”
SPECIAL REPORT
Abta positive about members’ ratings
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72