CATO hits back at CHOICE

THE Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has lambasted a recent travel survey published by consumer advocacy group CHOICE (TD 20 Jan), labelling the study “misleading and provocative”.

CHOICE’s Travel Cancellations due to COVID-19 report, accessible HERE, has come under heavy fire from CATO Managing Director Brett Jardine, who suggested the framing of the survey only served to “inflame consumer angst” around issues such as refunds and cancellations.

“If CHOICE is serious about participating in industry reform, it would be more productive for them to engage with our industry from the outset to ensure a clear understanding of the complexities involved,” he said.

“This approach would have been of greater value to consumers in helping them to understand,” Jardine added.

The CATO chief also called out CHOICE for comparing European Package Travel Regulations with Australian laws in the survey, claiming the contrast in approach will simply lead to greater confusion with consumers.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution... European Package Travel Regulations around travel refunds in circumstances of ‘extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances’ were never designed to cater for a global pandemic,” Jardine argues.

“It was designed for isolated cases, such as a terrorist attack in a specific destination that would affect travel for a limited time.

“The EU and the UK have retracted this law during COVID as they have quickly realised that if every tour operator, travel agent or supplier gave refunds to consumers, the entire travel and tourism ecosystem would collapse,” he added.