According to a recent report in the Mint by Regina Anthony Nair, around 123 travel agents in India have either voluntarily surrendered their International Air Transport Association (IATA) accreditations or saw them terminated in 2008, reporting the highest number of withdrawals from India in the last five years. Industry experts attribute this to cost-cutting measures by agents and airlines in the wake of global economic recession. Based in Montreal, Canada, IATA works with airlines and accredits some 60,000 travel agents worldwide. In India there are now about 2,900 IATA accredited agents. The IATA accreditation fee varies across countries. In India, the fee for a new applicant is USD550 (Rs26,895) and an annual fee of USD90 for existing members.
According to the Iata website, 60,000 travel agents worldwide sell around USD220 billion worth of airline tickets on behalf of around 230 member airlines. |