TravelManagers backflips on ATAS accreditation
After much outspoken debate on the shortcomings of the Australian Travel Accreditation Scheme (ATAS), TravelManagers bites the bullet and is now ATAS accredited.
The move comes after “careful consideration”, according to the home-based agency group, but has maintained it still has reservations about the scheme, saying it will continue to provide clients with “true peace of mind around client fund protection,” through its own TravelManagers Client Trust Account Fidelity Insurance (TACTAFI).
“TravelManagers has been passionate around the need for affordable mandatory consumer protection to form part of ATAS, canvassing for the scheme to deliver a meaningful value proposition with clarity on when consumers are, and are not, financially protected. Our view on the shortcomings of ATAS has not changed whilst ATAS accreditation does not provide any financial surety to consumers. We do accept ATAS is the future and by providing our own financial surety for customers we are now comfortable to apply for ATAS accreditation,” TravelManagers chairman Barry Mayo said.
Mayo clarifies that the group’s primary objective in joining ATAS was to continue to work towards a “more robust and meaningful recognition of travel agency qualifications and financial standing than is currently the case”.
“TravelManagers believe we are better positioned to achieve this objective as a member of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) than working towards this end external to the travel agency industry association,” Mayo said.
TravelManagers, together with Gow Gates pioneered TACTAFI, is now the only travel company to provide “tangible action” and “true” protection of clients’ funds, according to the group.
“We are pleased to provide all of our clients’ the added protection of a brand new and innovative guarantee. This provides our personal travel managers’ clients with payment receipts confirming a further level of security to support the integrity of protection for our clients’ funds,” Mayo said.
According to Mayo, TACTAFI will ensure all client payments for travel services rendered by TravelManagers will be protected up until payment is made to travel providers / suppliers.
“This new client guarantee has been created to protect client funds in the unlikely event that they go missing from, or are not paid into the Insured Trust Account as a result of fraudulent or dishonest activity. If funds are ever found to be missing, the insurance policy will simply reimburse the missing funds directly into the Insured Trust Account,’ Mayo said.
In the months since the ATAS launch, it is believed a number of key suppliers are choosing to only take bookings from ATAS accredited agents.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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