New year campaign to boost ABTA members
Broadcaster Magenta Devine will head a national advertising drive in January to highlight the benefits of booking through an ABTA member.
The campaign forms part of a £1.2 million Office of Fair Trading initiative and follows ABTA achieving grade two OFT status earlier this year.
The association was one of only five trade bodies to receive the enhanced accreditation and enables agents to display an OFT-approved logo. Newman Street hope it will become a recognised brand.
The campaign, which kick off on January 12, will feature radio adverts and an on-going PR drive.
It will focus on the superior levels of service expected from an ABTA member and highlight the code of conduct that every member must abide by.
“We get 1000 complaints a year from the public about non-ABTA members but there is absolutely nothing we can do,” a spokeswoman said. “For members however there is strict code that regulates business practice and members can be fined if they break them. That is a major distinction between members and non-members.”
She added around 15,500 complaints are received about ABTA members, all of which are dealt with by the association.
ABTA stressed the disparity between the complaint levels reflect the high number of agents who are members.
Report by Steve Jones
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