Council of Australian Tour Operators claims “landmark best-practice move”.
The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has today announced the launch of a set of standard agreements and policies for adoption by its members, following extensive engagement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Created in conjunction with travel specialist lawyers Pointon Partners, the new documents include Industry Standard Booking Terms & Conditions, short-form Supplier Agreements and a Privacy Policy, all written specifically for Australian based tour operators and wholesalers.
CATO MD Brett Jardine said extensive COVID-related advocacy in recent months had identified booking terms and conditions as a key area in need of reform, with significant variation across operators making consistency of messaging difficult.
Now available for roll-out under licence to CATO members, the new policies 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,” he said.
Pointon Partners is also providing complimentary 30 minute consultations with CATO members who adopt the new standard agreements, to determine if further work is required for specific organisational needs.
More details in today’s issue of Travel Daily.