ABTA TO LAUNCH NEW CRISIS ALERT SERVICE
Date published: 25 March 2008From May, ABTA - The Travel Association, will be providing a new out-of-hours text message alert service advising about serious incidents affecting customers, staff and destinations. The alerts will be sent to specific contacts within ABTA companies who have asked to be kept updated on significant operational incidents. Alerts will be sent on subjects including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, changes in the overall level of Foreign Office advice or industrial action.
Texts will only be used out of hours and for major unplanned events and guidelines will be drawn up and given to the relevant designated staff. Members will not be bombarded with texts on an incident, as ABTA will keep its website updated at all times during or following a serious event, so in many cases, the text alert will refer Members to the website for more information.
The service will be operated by Mobiletrails Ltd, a company who has built up expertise in operating SMS communication systems in the sport and travel sectors over a number of years.
Susan Lamb, ABTA's Member Operational Support Manager, said: "This text broadcast service provides us with a great opportunity to provide greater depth to our growing crisis management and support work for Members. No matter what time of day or night a crisis happens, we will be able to respond with up-to-date information for our Members. The system also has the ability to collect 'responses' and will provide all relevant management information and 24/7 support."
Adam Winterflood of Mobiletrails Ltd said: "The easiest and most efficient way of successfully communicating with a lot of people out of hours, when they are not at their desks, is through mobile phone text alerts. This system will vastly improve communications in a crisis situation."
The emergency service will be free to Members, but Members may also want to utilise the Mobiletrails service to provide information to keep customers in touch.
This allows Members to keep in touch with customers where they may have limited destination representation. It will also give Members the opportunity to add value to the holiday experience and make the customer feel connected to the Member before and during the holiday. There would be no set up costs for Members and customers will pay to sign up and the income generated will produce revenue for on a 'pence-per-text' basis for Members.
For further information
Sean Tipton, Communications Officer, tel: 020 7307 1902/1900
Frances Tuke, Public Relations Manager, tel: 020 7307 1903/1900
David Marshall, Head of Policy and Communications, tel: 020 7307 1912
Mobile: 07894 073010
Out of Hours: Contact the Duty Press Officer via pager: 07659 190987
Web: www.abta.com
Notes to editors
ABTA was founded in 1950 and currently has over 1,500 members with 6,000 outlets. Members include travel agents, tour operators and support services right across the spectrum from small family-owned businesses to the largest tour operators.ABTA is the largest travel association in the UK and its members provide 90% of the foreign package holidays in the UK as well as selling millions of independent travel arrangements.
As part of its comprehensive package of services to members, ABTA, as a non-party political organisation, also provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its Members to government and key opinion formers at the highest levels. In the UK, these include, government ministers, constituency MPs, Select Committee members, senior civil servants and members of the political opposition parties in both Westminster and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In Europe, ABTA is forming close ties with members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and staff within the Director Generals' Secretariats. ABTA works in partnership with ECTAA (the European grouping of travel agents and tour operators' associations) to lobby on interests relevant to its Members.
