Citing new independent research, Abta now claims to be the UK’s “most trusted travel organisation”.

Independent consultancy Arkenford surveyed more than 1,000 consumers in March studying their awareness and understanding of Abta, and their trust in the organisation compared with other travel companies, associations and trust marks.

Its findings showed 80% of those surveyed were aware of the Abta brand, an increase of 6% since August 2018.

Abta said “spontaneous awareness” (the ability to recall the brand when asked about travel organisations they are aware of) of Abta was “much higher” than any comparable outfits.

Some 61% of respondents said they knew “at least a little” about Abta, again, more than comparable organisations, schemes or trust marks.

The Arkenford research also asked respondents to rank organisations on a confidence scale of one to four, one being a ranking of most confidence and four the least.

Abta was ranked in category one by 42% of respondents. By comparison, Atol was ranked one by 11% and Trustpilot by 9%.

Additionally, the research found 88% of people felt more positive after seeing the Abta badge, the most common being reassurance (57%) and protection (56%).

Some 59% of those surveyed said they were more likely to book a holiday with a company displaying the Abta badge.

Victoria Bacon, Abta director of brand and business development, said: “Gaining people’s trust in your brand and business is much harder to achieve than it once was.

“This new independent research shows Abta is clearly ranked the UK’s most trusted travel organisation. It also tells us that not every travel badge is the same – high recognition does not necessarily equate to high trust.

“This is a really powerful tool for our members to use in their marketing as the Abta badge offers a compelling trust proposition for their customers, complementing their own brands.”