Who can Benefit?

  • ABTOT is open to a cross section of travel organisers and currently there are over 300 Members in Membership ranging from small independent travel companies to multinational organisations, annual turnover per ABTOT Member varies from less than £100k a year to over £200m.

    Every Member benefits from:

    • ABTOT’s status as an approved body – the ABTOT Bonding scheme is a Government regulated financial protection bonding scheme for Travel Organisers who need to comply with the 2018 Package Travel Regulations (PTRs).
    • ABTOT’s straightforward and cost-effective approach to Insolvency protection, which offers insurance backed travel bonds and an easy to manage financial failure insurance, and we can accept bank bonds too.
    • The ABTOT team’s experience – in depth knowledge and expertise in the travel sector gained from working with different types of travel organisers’ business models for the past 30 years.
    • The appointment of a dedicated underwriter who helps them comply with the PTRs but also provides expert business advice tailored to their business.
    • Reduced ATOL application and renewal fees with our ATOL Franchise.
    • Reduced merchant acquirer fees through our payment partners’ schemes.
    • Free or reduced fee services though our ABTOT Associates – from specialist advice on legal, accountancy, H&S, recruitment, travel & tourism advertising & marketing, foreign exchange, award winning environmental carbon compensation, expert travel technology and CRM solutions.

    SMEs

    Several Members of ABTOT are SMEs who offer unique and bespoke tours. These Members benefit from ABTOT’s experience and expertise in providing the right level of bonding. The ABTOT logo provides their customers with reassurance that their money is financially protected.

    A SME travel organiser who operates flight inclusive and non-flight holidays can enquire about the ABTOT ATOL Franchise.  ATOL Franchise – ABTOT

    School Travel Operators

    Many School Travel Operators and School Travel Organisers organising Educational and Residential trips and tours choose to protect their non-licensable insolvency protection through ABTOT as they want their financial protection through a govt approved body.

    They also benefit from ABTOT’s Arbitration Services and are subject to ABTOT’s Code of Conduct.

    School Travel Forum (STF) recognises ABTOT’s financial protection scheme.

    Societies, Charities and much more

    ABTOT requires only the non-flight “package” element to be bonded, which makes Membership attractive to large associations whose main business activities fall outside the Package Travel Regulations.

    Organisations that are not primarily travel organisers, but whose operations have fallen within the scope of the PTRs such as Clubs, Societies and Charities should speak to ABTOT regarding the required financial protection.

    Accommodation Only Travel Bonding

    Travel organisers offering Accommodation Only such as Villas do not fall within the scope of the Package Travel Regulations but may still want financial protection in place to provide the peace of mind to their customers that their money is financially protected.

    Having financial protection in place with ABTOT and displaying the ABTOT logo adds value to their business and reassurance to their customers.

    Large ATOL Holders

    Large ATOL Holders choose to protect their non-ATOL Holiday (non-flight) bonding through ABTOT as they want to be a Member of a Government regulated financial protection scheme that provides a competitive and straight forward financial protection solution.

    FAQs

    Can non-UK based travel organisers selling to UK consumers benefit from ABTOT Membership?

    ABTOT Membership is open to travel organisers who are based outside the UK and sell to UK consumers and therefore need to comply with the UK Package Travel Regulations.

    For more information see ABTOT Members Area – Travel Bonding Membership

    Can ABTOT protect sales to EU consumers ?

    Following Brexit, the UK has lost the mutual recognition which allows ABTOT to be used to cover all sales to EU citizens. Some incidental or minimal sales can be covered but if you are established in an EU country and/or ‘targeting’ EU customers (by advertising in that language, accepting payment in Euros or similar) then you will need an EU approved product to comply with the Package Travel Directive implementation in that country.

    However our sister company Arcus Solutions based in France provides travel bonds and surety products across the EU to Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Norway.

    More FAQs

  • Contact the ABTOT Team

    Email the team Call the team on 0207 065 5313

    Request Call Back