Why booking with an ABTA travel professional still matters.
Why trust still matters when you travel.
The value of booking with an ABTA travel professional.
When we plan a holiday, we spend a lot of time thinking about where we want to go, where we want to stay and what we want to experience.
But how often do we think about who we are actually booking with?
New ABTA research shows that 89% of consumers are more likely to book with an ABTA member than a non-member, while 80% say booking with an ABTA member gives them peace of mind.
Those are striking figures for a logo that has been part of British travel for generations.
More than just a logo.
ABTA membership isn't simply a badge that a travel company can add to its website.
Members must meet ABTA's requirements and follow its Code of Conduct, which sets standards for how customers are looked after before, during and after their holiday.
And the latest research gives an interesting insight into what consumers themselves believe the ABTA name represents.
87% associate ABTA with being safe, 86% with expertise, 84% with reassurance, 84% with reliability and 83% with confidence — and every one of those associations has increased.
Why does that matter when you're booking a holiday?
A holiday can be one of the biggest purchases we make in a year.
It might be the family holiday everyone has been looking forward to, a honeymoon, an anniversary, a cruise, or a long-awaited trip to somewhere completely new.
Whatever the reason for travelling, you are putting a considerable amount of trust in the company arranging it.
You want the information you are given to be accurate. You want to know what you are booking and what is included. And you want to know there are professional standards behind the company looking after your arrangements.
That is where the ABTA logo has real meaning.
Confidence still counts
What I find particularly interesting about this research is that, despite all the changes in the way we research and plan our holidays, reassurance hasn't become less important.
If anything, these latest results suggest the opposite.
ABTA awareness has increased, its key brand associations have strengthened, and consumers continue to place considerable value on booking with an ABTA member.
Perhaps that shouldn't be surprising.
The destination may be exciting and the hotel may look wonderful, but before any of that comes the decision about who you trust to arrange it.
And that decision matters.
Trust matters to the next generation too
One of the findings I found particularly interesting was the increase in ABTA awareness among younger travellers.
Knowledge of ABTA among 18–24-year-olds has risen by seven percentage points in the latest research.
This is a generation that has grown up with smartphones, social media and almost unlimited access to travel inspiration. Yet rather than established travel brands becoming less relevant, the research suggests that recognition of ABTA is growing.
Perhaps that's because having endless information available doesn't remove the need for reassurance.
Beautiful photographs and videos can inspire us to visit somewhere new, but they don't necessarily tell us who is behind the holiday, what standards they operate to or what happens if something doesn't go according to plan.
Why I'm proud to display the ABTA logo
For me, being an ABTA member is about being part of an organisation that sets professional standards for the travel industry and gives consumers an additional level of confidence when they book.
The latest research shows that consumers increasingly associate ABTA with being safe, expert, reassuring and reliable.
Those are values that matter to me and to Wellbeing Travel.
The way we discover destinations and plan our holidays will undoubtedly continue to change. New technology will give us even more choice and even more information.
But one thing remains reassuringly simple:
Knowing who you are trusting with your holiday still matters.
And that's why I'm proud that Wellbeing Travel is an ABTA member.
Helen Tustin
Founder, Wellbeing Travel
