During The Council of Australian Tour Operators’ (CATO) recent extensive COVID-related advocacy engagement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), a particular area of focus identified as inconsistent, and in need of reform through standardisation, was Booking Terms and Conditions.
“A real challenge in our lobbying and consultation efforts with regulators and the media during the COVID crisis has been that the variation across operators T&Cs, so consistency of messaging has been difficult,” said CATO managing director, Brett Jardine.
In response, CATO, in conjunction with travel law specialist lawyers, Pointon Partners, CATO has now developed a set of standard agreements and policies available exclusively to CATO’s land-supply sector Members. These ‘core set of standard T&C’s’ are consistent across the industry, better aligned with obligations under Australian Consumer Law, and will help tour operators and wholesalers mitigate future risk.
Including Industry Standard Booking Terms and Conditions, short form Supplier Agreements and a Privacy Policy, the agreements have been written specifically for Australian-based tour operators and wholesalers and are
“Once adopted by the majority of CATO Members, this will provide consistent delivery of best practice for all concerned, and enable operators to take collective positions if an event like this pandemic ever arose again,” said Jardine.
“With pursestrings understandably tight during these trying times, CATO has kept licence fees to a minimum, significantly less than having them drafted independently. Right now, ensuring your operating structure is in the best possible position for the post-COVID recovery is a sensible course of action.”
Pointon Partners will provide a complimentary 30-minute consultation with CATO Members who adopt the new CATO Standard Booking Terms and Conditions to determine if additional bespoke T&Cs are required for specific organisational needs.
To take advantage of CATO’s best practice project and be part of a positive change for the land-supply sector, Australian based tour operators and wholesalers are encouraged to contact CATO directly.
IMAGE: CATO managing director, Brett Jardine
