Who is ABTOT?

ABTOT is a travel trade association, whose members are UK and Irish travel organisers.

Our responsibilities as an approved BEIS body are:

• Ensuring our members comply with the Package Travel regulations (see the new Package Travel Regulations here);
• Protecting you, the public – maintaining high standards across advertising, terms of trade, changes to bookings, and customer complaints;
• Providing expert help and advice – we keep our fingers on the pulse of the UK tourism industry, staying abreast of issues which affect our members and their customers;
• Helping you to understand your rights in the event of financial failure – so you know how to claim in the event that the travel organiser ceases trading.

Ultimately, our aim is to give you trust and confidence when booking your holiday with an ABTOT member, and the peace of mind that there are rules of membership our members must comply with to ensure you have a holiday that is fully protected.

ABTOT members are fully compliant with the new regulations

ABTOT is approved by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy  (BEIS).

ABTOT has been approved as a franchise of the CAA and we hold our own franchise ATOL, to protect flight inclusive packages..

ABTOT members can meet their legal obligations for protecting both flight and non-flight holidays under one single scheme which is known as “ABTOT Combined”.

Flight inclusive packages sold by our members are protected under ABTOT’s franchise ATOL.  The CAA remains the regulator and applicants to our franchise scheme must complete part of the ATOL application but most of the administration is handled by ABTOT’s administration team.

Useful links

• Package travel regulations: guidance for organisers and retailers
• BEIS 
• CAA
• Which – Consumer Rights – legislation guidance 

Working to protect you

We can’t stop things from going wrong – but we can do all that we can to sort things out promptly when they do.

Any ABTOT-protected holiday sold to you in the UK or Ireland by an ABTOT member is protected financially in the event of the company’s failure. So if things do go wrong, it’s a straightforward process to get a refund or get you home.

Things to bear in mind

• It’s always a good idea to check with the company you’re booking, as to what financial protection is offered.
• The new Package Travel Regulations apply to packages sold or offered for sale in the UK, Ireland and EU. Some non UK based travel organisers, offering cheap but attractive holidays might not have equivalent financial protection, to protect your money if you book with them. Always check what financial protection exists before booking with these tour organisers to avoid disappointment in the event of financial failure.