New Legislation for Honest Travel Marketing Online

New Legislation for Honest Travel Marketing Online

As of 1st March the Advertising Standards Authority the ASA gains new powers to enforce fair and honest marketing online. This means a company's own website and any non-paid for marketing, such as social media sites including Facebook and Twitter, across all industries. However, it is envisaged that these new powers will actually affect the travel industry greatly.

Travel agencies, budget airlines and hotels for example can make claims and advertise prices that are somewhat grey' around the edges.

The new powers granted to the ASA will mean that all offers, claims, statements of fact and availability relating to offers etc. are first and foremost real and that average Joe' could actually purchase the offer, not an offer that is knee deep in caveats and limited availability.

Statements and claims must also be substantiated. We all know that, especially nowadays, price matters. Online, because web marketing hasn't been regulated, the travel industry can pretty much say anything it wants, in a bid to secure a booking. The travel industry's marketing campaigns are all based around being "the cheapest". Well, now if a claim like this is made, for example "cheapest prices online, no other cheaper holidays to Tenerife" and the ASA learn that actually it is not the cheapest, the travel company will be forced to remove it unless said travel agent can back it up.

Interestingly, many travellers already think the travel industry is heavily regulated when it comes to their marketing. Well, when it comes to traditional marketing and media, for instance TV or newspaper ads the industry is regulated. However, up until now online marketing campaigns, including statements and claims on a company's own website are not. This is where misleading and unclear presumptions are made, and how costly mistakes can happen for the traveller.

Last year, over two and a half thousand complaints were received from travellers complaining about misleading marketing online by the travel industry. But as the ASA had no power over online marketing nothing could be done.

The legislation will also make sure that all hidden costs' are clearly laid out; making the travel industry's pricing policy much more transparent. After all, how many of us have booked a holiday or a flight, thinking that the price is X but actually you get to the online checkout and it more than doubles?!?

So, briefly put, for the travellers amongst us, the new legislation and powers for ASA will mean that when we research our next travel plans online, get quotes, get lured to booking with a certain operator or airline due to prices that can't be beaten' it should mean that we get just that, a price that can't be beaten! So it's power to the ASA and power to the people too as the travelling public is able to take advantage of honest and fair pricing once and for all.

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