Bangkok--6 Mar--eTurboNews
On 13 February the United Federation of Travel Agents' Associations (UFTAA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) extended their joint training agreement until the end of 2007. The agreement was originally concluded and signed in 1999.
According to this new accord IATA and UFTAA will keep offering training programmes to the travel trade.
In the meantime, the two global associations have agreed to discuss a new, long-term development of training programmes that will take them beyond the timeframe of the current deal. UFTAA, however, has reserved the right to consider other training options and solutions.
"Some of the issues that we are discussing with IATA", explains UFTAA chairman Joe Borg Olivier, "include marketing, subject-matter expertise, product developments, instructor accreditation and ATCs - accredited training centres- among other topics. These are in addition to the promotion of existing training programmes, the most important of which is the "Foundation" course that leads to travel agency accreditation in some countries".
UFTAA and IATA have agreed to finalise ongoing negotiations by the end of September. There will be no disruption in training flows. Negotiation teams from both associations plan to meet in Paris in April for further discussions.
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