Buy fully protected holidays

[January 9th 2009]

Holidaymakers are being warned that they may not be fully financially protected if travel companies go bust unless they book through a tour operator.

AITO, the Association of Independent Tour Operators, has launched a campaign highlighting that its members offer 100% fully financially protected holidays. The association claims that the financial protection offered by its members is "far superior" to that offered by some other travel associations.

“Booking a holiday can be a minefield for consumers - many automatically assume their holidays are protected when they aren’t. The last thing people can afford is for their holiday not to be iron clad - AITO ensures your holiday is fully financially protected," explains AITO chairman (Explore), Derek Moore.

"Other organisations offer protection - or not - based upon the type of holiday booked, but the new AITO Holiday 100% Financial Protection Campaign logo is the industry gold standard for protection and quality. We continue to lobby the Government on the confusing status of protection,” Moore adds.

AITO tour operators offer full protection whether it’s an air-inclusive, rail, self-drive or coach holiday or even the popular accommodation-only option. "If components are bought separately and/or direct from the supplier, travellers might well be on their own if trouble looms," AITO warns.

Travellers who book scheduled flights direct do not get financial protection, AITO points out. And there are a number of other cases where the traveller may not be protected, including direct bookings with a hotel, car hire company, or rail or coach company.

AITO also says that the Civil Aviation Authority's ATOL scheme only covers air travel and air-inclusive packages, and that credit card bookings may not give full financial protection either.

To help consumers understand this complex situation, AITO has produced a simple one page guide to explain the technicalities of financial protection.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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