ABTA’s Middle East crisis response cuts through as information reaches growing numbers of members and consumers

ABTA’s advice on navigating travel during the Middle East conflict has been reaching its members and their customers with significant uplift in traffic to ABTA’s website and engagement on its social media channels.  

This is in addition to around 30 Operational Bulletins to members, alerts which keep them informed of breaking developments and advice. ABTA’s Chief Executive, Mark Tanzer, has also met with Hamish Falconer MP, minister at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, when they discussed the crisis and its impact on the travel industry, the advice ABTA is giving to members and how the Government can help.

ABTA’s media appearances, including around 60 broadcast interviews and numerous print and online articles, alongside an organic and paid social media campaign, has resulted in a spike in visitors to its website, providing customers with the information they need during the uncertainty of the current situation.

Over the first week of the crisis, ABTA’s website has seen 46,000 new visitors and 86,000 page views.

Views of ABTA’s consumer FAQ pages covering cancellations due to unavoidable and extraordinary events and covering rights when flights are cancelled, increased over the same period compared with a year ago. These pages are designed to provide accurate information to the travelling public, and so also help reduce the number of queries going to members.

Visits to the ABTA Member Zone landing page are also up in the same period year on year as members looked for advice on what they should be telling customers. This exclusive member benefit now includes a dedicated section to help members who are dealing with the fast-moving situation in the Middle East, acting as a portal to access up-to-date operational information, legal guidance and practical resources.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive at ABTA, said:
“Our crisis response team has been quick to react to the needs of our members and the public in providing information to clarify the advice to members and their clients during this continued uncertainty.  Clear, up to date, and speedy delivery of communications has been key to helping people in this time of uncertainty.”

Notes to editors
ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.

Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.

All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com