Atol experts welcome delay to reform Ian Taylor
Senior industry figures welcomed confirmation of the delay to Atol reform as the CAA prepared to celebrate 50 years of the scheme at a Parliamentary reception on Tuesday. A joint CAA and Department
for Transport (DfT) statement formally confirmed the delay last week (Travel Weekly, January 18). Alan Bowen, legal advisor to the
Association of Atol Companies, said: “People are pleased to be left to get on with running their business. Clearly, at some point Atol reform will be an issue, but it’s positive until we see the outcome.” Chris Photi, head of travel and leisure at White Hart Associates,
agreed, saying: “The can has been kicked down the road. It’s good news for 95% of the industry. But there is nervousness among private equity investors about what is going to happen on Atol. Investors want to factor it in and there is no clarity.” The CAA has given no
indication of when the process might move forward. Bowen fears the failure of luxury
online tour operator Luxtripper in October has stiffened the CAA’s resolve to insist on the segregation of customer money after last week’s statement asserted that a “considerable number” of businesses are still “using customer money”. Luxtripper went into
administration in October owing £11.9 million including more
Trade urges FCDO to reassess travel advice more often
Juliet Dennis
Agents and operators have called on the government to improve the accuracy of its travel advice. The plea for more up-to-date
worldwide travel guidance, reviewed more frequently, follows an open letter asking the government to reform its advice for Sri Lanka, signed by more than 35 MPs, peers, travel providers and businesses. The letter described current
advice for Sri Lanka by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) as “overly harsh”. Travel firms said FCDO advice
4 25 JANUARY 2024
had improved since pre-Covid but issues remained. Haslemere Travel managing director Gemma Antrobus said advice changed quickly to reflect problems but was not reversed as fast once a situation improved. “It’s hugely frustrating when
the FCDO doesn’t update its information,” she said. Recent changes to advice for
Middle Eastern countries had led to unwillingness to travel, she added, stressing the importance of working with specialists with strong destination knowledge. Andara Travel managing
director Sandra Mutter called the The Luxtripper
failure shows some companies are still using customer money to run their business
than £9.1 million to customers (Travel Weekly, January 11). Bowen said: “The Luxtripper
failure doesn’t help at all. It shows some companies are still using customer money to run their business. The CAA will be facing £4 million to £5 million in claims. It’s an embarrassment.” He suggested: “I felt we had
persuaded the CAA that most businesses were not using customer
money to operate their business. [But] the CAA has not given up on the idea that there have to be controls on the use of customer money.” Bowen added: “Luxtripper
claimed one of its difficulties in raising funds was that no one knew the outcome of Atol reform. That is an excuse.” The delay in the reform appears
chiefly due to distraction within the government. A senior industry source suggested: “It takes three months now for a minister’s office to respond to anything. Everything is slow.” The CAA Atol-anniversary
celebration on Tuesday was due to be attended by speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, aviation minister Anthony Browne and CAA chair Sir Stephen Hillier.
Colombo, Sri Lanka
advice for Sri Lanka “overcautious”, adding: “It is really affecting a fabulous, safe destination.” Intrepid Travel UK general
manager Hazel McGuire said: “It’s important we put things into context. From time to time the FCDO advice is not updated as much as it should be.” As an example, she said
consumers should know “hundreds of thousands” of Brits have travelled to Morocco since the 2018 terrorist attack referenced in its advice. Exoticca managing director Neil
Sealy noted: “It has improved from the days of blanket bans but there’s room for further improvement.”
Neil Dobbs, owner of Sri Lanka
specialist operator and agency Travel Gallery, said “misleading information” remained on the FCDO website for a “considerable amount of time”. In response to the calls,
the FCDO said updates were issued “as quickly as possible”. A spokesperson said: “The safety
of British people is the main factor when determining our travel advice. Our advice is designed to help British people make informed decisions about foreign travel and remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks when travelling abroad.”
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Shutterstock/Khoroshunova Olga
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