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Main Message : Posted by John Everitt Thursday, April 20, 2000 at 12:55:45 (EDT):
LICENSED TO KILL. .....
OO7 had the licence to do whatever he found necessary in the course of his duties, and who was there to check up on him.<br>In the real world however, whatever you do, there are rquirements to be met and this is no different for bowlers.<br>Something that club and social secretaries should be aware of is the effect that the 1992 Package Travel Act has had on those arranging holidays, be they the bucket and spade variety or a bowls holiday to Spain orBournemouth.<br><br>Since that act became law it has been a criminal offence for anyone packaging two or more of the basic fundementals of a holiday to do so without suitable financial security. There are various way this can be achieved,these are <br><br>1. Travel (by coach, train or plane)<br><br>2. Accommodation of any description. Hotel B&B or self-catering<br><br>3. Service. This could be car hire, golf, bowls or any add-on arrangement.<br><br>Package any two of these together and you have to meet certain financial criteria:<br>If the holiday includes air travel in any form you must hold an ATOL licence and be bonded accordingly. The only exception is where you act as an authorised agent for an ATOL holder. Simply buying airline seats from a travel agent or ATOL holder is not acceptable. Be aware that if you simply buy the seats and add on a direct booking with an hotel then you are committing a criminal offence and the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority)will prosecute every time.<br>If you package together a coach and hotel in the UK, or simply an hotel and bowls then you have to meet the requirenets of the 1992 Package Travel Act. This means you have to have all money taken by you, secured either by;<br>1.Being a member of an accepted organmisation such as ABTA or the TTA<br>2.Having an acceptable insurance bond against bankruptcy<br>3.Paying all money into an acceptable Clients Trust Account where the Trustee is indepdent (usually a solicitor or accountant) and will not allow you to use that money for the holiday arrangements until the holiday is completed.In other words you must fund the holiday from your own funds and not touch any collected money until everyone has returned home. This makes it very difficult to operate.<p>It has been estimated that 70% of all the arrangements in Bowls Holiday groups are illegal. Most organisers are completely unaware they could be breaking the law and all usually goes well, but those organising such arrangements are liable to prosecution and a hefty fine plus a criminal record. You should ask "is it worth it, it's a thankless task at the best of times because you can't please all the people all of the time".<p>I bring this to your attention as the owner of Gala Leisure, part of the Gala Leisure & Travel Group. Gala are one of the oldest established tour operators in Europe with over 35 years in the business. We have ABTA, ATOL & IATA licenses and bonds and can tell you that arranging such holidays is becoming more and more difficult as time goes by and we get more and more regulations coming out of Europe.<br>Most reputable licensed operators will have airline and hotel contracts at prices that you would not be able to get near, plus we have the clout to be certain we get what we book, as hoteliers do not usually wish to upset us. This being the case can I suggest that for your next holiday or tour you contact Gala for a quotation either within the Uk or abroad. You can then rest easily, leave all the organisation to us and enjoy a well earned holiday and the price is likely to be not too different from that which you would have come up with yourself. Subject to numbers we are always happy to offer financial assistance to those introducing clubs to us and we are happy to work with you, simply taking the legal responsibility off your shoulders.<br>If this has raised questions please feel free to e mail me and I will be happy to advise on any aspect on which you may not be clear,<p><br>John Everitt<br>Director<br>Gala Leisure<br>
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