It’s been a busy week for regulatory news with the Department for Business and Trade publishing its review of the Package Travel Regulations (PTRs). There has also been an update from the Advertising Standards Authority on green claims in travel advertising. Both developments may affect your business operations - ABTA is here to help you understand any impact.

Throughout the PTR review process ABTA has been engaging with Government, making the case that there is no need for a major overhaul of regulations that would place increased burdens on travel companies. They’re pleased the Government recognises this and that the current regulations generally work well for consumers, which has been shown through the pandemic and major failures.

There are, however, some changes, including to Linked Travel Arrangements and the rights of travel companies to seek redress from suppliers when arrangements change. ABTA will provide further information for members on these changes in due course.

It was also encouraging to see the Government’s commitment to explore other concerns raised by ABTA during the consultation process, and discuss these further with officials.

Also this week, the Advertising Standards Authority released a new report which found that while most travel agents aren’t making green claims, of those that do, half may be breaking the rules.

ABTA know this is a complex area and are here to support you. They have guidance in the Member Zone on how to avoid making misleading claims about the environmental impact of the travel services you sell. ABTA will also be discussing it at the upcoming event, Communicating Sustainability, in January.