Posts Tagged ‘ ABTA ’

The way travel companies function has to alter. And the regulator needs to be independent of the industry.

From the outcry reported by the mainstream media about the reaction of ABTA you might have thought that Shapps had consigned holidays for all time into the fiery furnace.

ABTA says that staycations will continue to perform well and that Europe will continue to be host to the main destinations.

ABTA says that five million of us will be travelling abroad over the Christmas holiday period.

UK airlines will still be able to operate flights between the UK and the EU until at least October 2020.

For customers of LateRooms and Superbreak, what redress is there if you have booked with them and not yet undertaken your hotel stay or mini break?

According to ABTA, Action Fraud and getsafeonline, over 5,000 people reported to Action Fraud that they had lost a total of just over £7 million to holiday and travel related fraud in 2018.

Popular destinations closer to home include Majorca, Turkey, mainland Spain, Egypt, Tunisia, Cyprus, Malta, Madeira and that perennial favourite – the Canary Islands.

Deal with a company that is bonded so that you don’t lose it if a problem concerns. Buy your trip on a credit card (not a debit card or with cash) so that you have redress in case of an issue and perhaps, most importantly, take out travel insurance.

We start our survey of what the industry “experts” suggest by looking at ABTA, the main trade body for the British travel industry, and what it thinks will be the top twelve destinations to watch over the coming year.

Wherever you are going – and particularly those using Gatwick – good luck!

I suggested that people might be taking both an overseas holiday and a short breaks in the UK. But Holiday Habits suggests that the number of Britons taking a holiday in the UK has fallen from an average of 2.1 to 1.8.

The report tells us that Spain and Portugal remained popular which will surprise absolutely no-one. But holidays in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria became much more popular.

It all seems like one long drawn-out East Enders plot with everybody lurching from one mess to another with none of the cheery win-through attitudes. Come to think of it East Enders doesn’t have that either!

News arriving at Just about Travel suggests that two of our very biggest tour operators are delaying payments to customers that are owed compensation due to delayed or cancelled flights.

Today is the supposed to be the busiest day of the holiday period as we fly, drive or catch the ferry.

A swathe of figures show that British visitor numbers to the Sychelles, Dominican Republic and Cyprus show that we are not cutting back yet. So campaigns by Italy, Ras al Khaimah and Chicago will be pleased that we might consider them for holidays as well.

The judge, as he handed out the sentence, said that those submitting fraudulent claims can expect prison sentences.

Just About Travel tells you what’s hot and what’s not in the travel world right now

With the summer holidays underway, Adian looks at where we are going, some of the problems and ends with Jet 2, the only travel company in the top 50 for customer satisfaction according to the ICS.

In dismissing the court action, the judge accused them of “fundamental dishonesty.” He ordered the couple to pay costs of £3,744.

Why are UK citizens making fraudulent claims and citizens of other European countries don’t appear to be doing so? What does that say about our legal system? Or the people involved in it or on the sidelines?

Nobody wants to stop legitimate travel insurance claims. But the last nine months or so has seen an explosion in those people claiming fraudulently.

Three weeks ago, Travelzoo suggested that hotels could also be classified by how secure and safe they were.

ABTA estimates that between 650 and 1,000 people may be affected because of those personal details that have been filed and all should have now been contacted by them.

Canada, Croatia and Geneva all announced that more Britons were travelling there. New York expects fewer of us and Egypt seems to be trying to deter us from holidaying in the land “where it all began.”

Caravans, Piccadilly Circus, playing in a steel band from Tobago and Tunisian holiday interests are some of the items catching Adrian’s eye this week.

The new year has stared as the old one ended; there is a planned strike at BA, shootings – this time at Fort Lauderdale – but cruise companies may issue medallions in the future to record what you do on board.