Booking.com Atol ‘not for packages’ Ian Taylor


Online giant Booking.com is not selling package holidays under its own Atol despite becoming the fourth-largest Atol holder in the September licence renewals and being tipped to become the number one. Booking has revealed it only sells


packages under the Atols of partner online agencies (OTAs) such as lastminute.com, saying its own Atol covers flight-only sales. A Booking spokesperson told


Travel Weekly: “Booking.com’s forecast Atol figures are for flight-only bookings, while the majority of Atol holders sell flight-inclusive packages. “We also work with partners, for


example lastminute.com, to provide travellers with flights and hotel package holidays. In these instances, Atol protection is arranged via the partner as the Atol holder.” The spokesperson added:


“Booking.com is compliant with the Atol regulations and we are in constant discussion with the CAA to ensure we’re meeting all of our obligations as our business needs evolve.” However, the CAA confirmed it


only requires Atol cover for seat-only bookings in limited circumstances. A CAA spokesperson said: “Atol


applies in the main to flight-inclusive packages. But some flight seat-only sales fall within the scope of the scheme when somebody books a flight but doesn’t receive their ticket


We work with


partners to provide package holidays, with Atol protection via the partner as Atol holder


– some OTAs work this way – or if someone pays a deposit, pays in instalments and receives the ticket when the balance is paid. There are some exemptions for sellers when it comes to flight-only sales – most commonly as an airline ticket agent.” Leading industry accountant Chris


Photi, White Hart Associates head of travel, predicted Booking.com “will be the number-one [Atol holder] by


some distance in two or three years” when he spoke at last month’s Travel Weekly Future of Travel Conference. Booking is currently the fourth-


largest Atol holder with a licence for 2,387,509, which it increased by 331,000 in September. But as recently as two years ago, Booking barely made the Atol top-20. Partner lastminute.com trades


under the Atol of parent Bravonext, the eighth-largest Atol holder with a licence for 742,922 bookings, up 135,000 year on year. Booking’s ambition to sell more


holidays, or what it terms ‘connected trips’, suffered a blow last month when the European Commission blocked its €1.63 billion acquisition of flight platform eTraveli.


Sector slated for claims of ‘eco certification’


Ian Taylor


Travel industry understanding of sustainability accreditation is “so far off the norm” that businesses risk misleading consumers with claims of certification. That is according to Global


Sustainable Tourism Council chief executive Randy Durband, who told a Sustainable Hospitality Association summit in London on Tuesday: “Certification means there is some form of independent external review.”


4 19 OCTOBER 2023 He noted: “Hotels all have their


own ‘certification’, but that is not certification. The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Hotel Sustainability Basics programme is not certification.” Durband argued: “We need to


apply external accreditation. The word ‘accreditation’ is used entirely wrongly in this industry. In the EU, only a national body can provide certification. These words have precise definitions. Start learning the language. The language [in travel] is so far off.”


WTTC president and chief


executive Julia Simpson noted 80% of hotels are SMEs and “need a starting point”, saying the Hotel Sustainability Basics programme “is a first step”. She added: “I can’t say I speak to


one CEO without them saying this is their top priority.” But Durband told the summit:


Randy Durband


He did praise the Hotel


Sustainability Basics scheme, launched in March, which aims to “raise the floor on sustainability” with 12 indicators “all hotels should implement” (Travel Weekly, March 2). Durband said: “What I like is it’s


just a starting point. A hotel can only use it for two years then needs to move to the next stage.” But he argued: “We’re starving


for universal measurement tools. The industry has been outside the norm in how it refers to certification.”


“Globally, things have changed pretty dramatically. Climate change is punching people in the face.” He warned: “We’re going to


see far more regulatory pressure. Hospitality, travel and tourism are visible. There is less room for hiding.” Durband described aviation as


“the Achilles heel of travel” and said: “I’m sceptical about [meeting] 2030 [decarbonisation] targets because there is a vast informal economy in travel.” Suzanne Neufang, chief executive


of the Global Business Travel Association, suggested: “Business travel can be the tip of a spear for this industry. It has the most coordinated buying power and there is a drive to increase sustainable practices.”


travelweekly.co.uk


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