Elite offers free memberships to celebrate 40 years
Elite Travel Group is planning a recruitment drive and is giving away free membership for 2018 to mark its 40th anniversary. The consortium has employed a business development manager for the first time to support its existing 60 branches and attract new agencies. Karen Oates, who previously
Kay and Alan Oram, Philip Mannion, Holiday
Inspirations; Paul Molyneux, Jetset; Wendy Albutt, Elite Travel Group
The Travel Shop, with Tina and Donald
Nason, Carrick Travel
‘Don’t panic about GDPR but get ready to comply’
Agents have been advised against asking clients to “opt in” to direct marketing promotions ahead of new data protection rules.
Abta head of legal affairs Simon
Bunce warned agents could risk losing their entire database if they explicitly ask for clients’ consent. He urged agents to prepare for the new regulations and “keep calm”. The EU’s General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR)
replaces the Data Protection Act on May 18 next year. Many in the trade believe “opt in” client consent to be necessary under the new rules. Bunce said: “There is a bit of confusion around the requirement for consent. But I would caution against writing to your whole database to reaffirm customers’ consent because I don’t think you will get it. You will lose your database.”
Carrick: Diversify when trading is strong
Travel firms should only expand from a position of strength during challenging times such as the current climate, according to If Only head of partnerships Dominic Carrick. The long-haul operator, which this year recruited five senior executives from Travel 2 and Gold Medal to join its management team, is
expanding its destination range. Speaking at the Elite
conference, Carrick said: “Don’t neglect your strengths; they are vital in difficult times. Don’t be lured by the trend of diversification; only diversify when you are strong. We feel ready to venture to other parts of the globe. We are doing this from a position of strength.”
He said: “Let’s not panic, but
you will need to get ready and take steps to comply.”
Agents should continue to offer
an “opt out” option on emails to clients, he stressed. Abta has produced spreadsheets
for members to start checking what data they have, where it is held, who it is shared with and security levels. Agents are also likely to need to “beef up” privacy policies. Bunce said: “You must not
underestimate how big a job this all is. The real headache is going to be emails.” Claire Moore, manager at Peakes
Travel Elite, added: “The challenge sometimes is not understanding the technology well enough. When we think something is deleted, is it really deleted?” African Pride sales manager
David Holland said: “One of our main concerns is the data we send to partners, such as a lodge in Malawi, and getting them to understand.”
19 October 2017
travelweekly.co.uk 23
worked at Midcounties Co-operative and The Travel Network Group, will visit the group’s 45 members regularly and promote its revamped website, which allows agents to load business profiles. Chief executive Neil Basnett said: “Karen wants to bring in new members. Ideally at some stage we will have 100 locations, but I am realistic – it’s very hard for agents to move consortium.” The consortium announced
its offer of free membership to new and existing members to celebrate its 40th anniversary, an offer it aims to promote as part of a three-month marketing campaign. This is worth £950 per head office member annually and £495 for every other branch. “This is a significant cost for
the consortium but we want to acknowledge members’ loyalty and say thank you,” said Basnett. Elite Travel Group will hold
next year’s conference in Granada in southern Spain.
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