( UNITED STATES TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION ) PMNll Safe Trips On The Information Superhighway (NAPS)—A group of travel experts is working hard to make certain that people who plan a trip over the Internet don’t get taken for a ride. The experts at the nonprofit United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) point out The Smart Travelers Planning Kit the Internet doesn’t have to be a new frontier for travel misrepre- sentation and fraud, if you know whatto watch for. Some 59 million people now use the Internet to plan travel, according to the Travel Industry Association of America and, of those, 16 million book their trips online. While the vast majority of travel Web sites are legitimate, the Internet does make it easy for Always checkthe credentials of any online travel company with which you do business. some companies to fool unsuspecting customers, notes Bob Whitley, secured $1 million bond orletter of credit to reimburse consumer pay- The association advises consumers to beware of online travel reputable companies, experts rec- USTOA’s president. fraud. Before putting down a deposit on a vacation booked over the Web, it says, people should safeguard themselves by finding out if the company is a memberof a reputable travel industry orga- nization such as USTOAorthe ments, should it go out of business. In addition to dealing only with ommend following some simple advice to avoid falling victim to travel fraud: Prices that seem too good to be true, probably are. e Avoid doing business with sumers is that any travel com- companies that require customers to buyorsell travel certificates. Be wary of companies that claim to make you an “instant travel agent.” Avoid shopping with companies that seem to be pressuring you into putting down a deposit on a vacation. e Always double check with travel organization. Consumers with your travel agent to be sure of a tour company’s membership nies claiming to be members, USTOA maintainsa listing of its Active Member companies on National Tour Association. “We are seeing a rise in com- plaints about companiesthat mis- represent themselves over the Internet as membersof recognized travel industry organizations,” says Whitley. The problem facing online con- pany can set up a Website and claim that it is a member of a maybefalsely led to believe that they are protected by the compawhen,in fact, they are not. USTOA, for example, requires all its Active Membersto participate in a $1 million ConsumerPro- tection Plan. The plan requires each company toset aside a fully the organization in question or status. its Web site, www.ustoa.com. To learn more, you can either e-mail information@ustoa.com or phone 1-800-GO-USTOA(468-7862) for a free “Smart Traveler’s Planning Kit.”
