Seven in 10 consumers feel more confident booking a holiday with a company that is a member of Abta, new research has shown.
A survey of around 2,000 consumers, conducted by research company Arkenford, found that 73% of consumers feel more comfortable booking a holiday if they know it is with a company that is an Abta member.
More than half of consumers – 56% – said that seeing the Abta logo increased the likelihood of them booking with the company.
Some 56% of consumers also said they would potentially spend up to £25 more to book with an Abta member, while three quarters – 78% – said they would possibly spend up to £10 more.
There is a high expectation that most travel companies will be Abta members – 7 in 10 people (74%) expect their holiday company to be a member, while 6 in 10 consumers say that they think less positively of a company that is not an Abta member.
Awareness of the brand has dropped slightly, with 71% of those surveyed stating that they recognised the logo, compared with 75% last year.
However, the research showed that the Abta brand continues to be the most recognised travel industry body in the sector, with Atol ranking second at 59%, showing that the CAA’s Pack Peace of Mind campaign seems to be working.
Iata was the third most well-known industry brand, at 31%, while 8% of consumers said that they recognised the Aito logo.
Victoria Bacon, head of brand and business development, Abta, said: “The Abta logo has a positive impact on the majority of people.
“It sends a strong signal to consumers that they are booking with a reputable company and that there is support behind their travel arrangements. We have done a
lot of work in the past couple of years to increase the awareness and understanding of what Abta offers.
“It is encouraging to see that consumers really value what we do, particularly our role in providing help and support and in setting standards for the industry to
work to.”