AITO welcomes ABTA?s re-think on consumer protection

The Association of Independent Tour Operators welcomes ABTA?s fresh look at consumer protection in the travel industry.

AITO chairman, Derek Moore said: ?It can only be good for the industry as a whole and for consumers, too, if ABTA reverts to its previous, much higher, levels of consumer protection. At present, there is confusion amongst everyone about what is and what is not covered, which can lead to a mistrust of travel organisations.

?ABTA is the largest travel industry association, representing much of the mass tourism market, and it?s important to us all that it adopts the highest possible standards for its members and that it protects the millions of consumers that still believe ABTA to be a force for good.?

AITO has long espoused 100% consumer financial protection and its 140 specialist holiday companies guarantee that anything and everything purchased from them ? whether a full package trip, accommodation only or simply car hire ? comes with complete financial protection. This is considerably in excess of current UK legislation. Additionally, AITO has a strong Responsible Tourism ethic and all member companies sign up to AITO?s Quality Charter.

Says Moore: ?AITO companies are generally the small-to-medium sized enterprises of the travel industry, so it?s only natural that they should care about their customers and about the environmental impact of selling holidays. It doesn?t make it any easier for them to excel in both fields, however - hard work and determination in shed-loads are required. At AITO we are proud of our members? industry-leading efforts in respect of both financial protection across the board and in terms of their long-term commitment to environmental issues, which spans over 21 years. These are now front-line issues and AITO members can justifiably pat themselves on the back for having championed them for a very long time, well in advance of current trends.?

For more information on AITO visit: www.aito.com