Travelzoo has highlighted that the new online advertising code coming into force in the UK from the beginning of the next month will be difficult to police without the assistance of the public. Researchers at Travelzoo advised that over 80 percent of the offers they currently review are misleading to consumers or do not represent good value.

Published: 23 Feb 2011

Travelzoo has highlighted that the new online advertising code coming into force in the UK from the beginning of the next month will be difficult to police without the assistance of the public. Researchers at Travelzoo advised that over 80 percent of the offers they currently review are misleading to consumers or do not represent good value.

The Advertising Standards Authority’s code already applies to paid-for online advertising such as banner ads and pay-per-click. However, from 1 March, its online remit will be extended to cover marketing communications on an organisation’s own website, and any social media platforms under its control, such as Facebook and Twitter. The ASA will also be able to remove paid-for search ads that link back to web pages hosting non-compliant marketing communication, and “name and shame” companies that continue to not comply with advertising regulations.

Travelzoo even though it welcomes the extended regulations, the company is concerned that they will be difficult to police, given the sheer scale of the Internet and how prolific social media now is.

Travelzoo’s European operations director Stephen Dunk said, “To come up with our weekly Top 20 deals, the team searches through hundreds of travel offers, advertised in all forms of media including print, broadcast, online and social media. Each week, we have to reject over 80 percent of the deals that we find for a number of reasons, including misleading deal information or prices that are out of date or not available.”

Dunk added, “Just last week we found hotel deals advertised in the weekend papers at under £40 per night. When the team tried to test-book the deals, some rates were only available for one or two nights. We consider this to be misleading for our subscribers and on these grounds we would not publish the deal in the Top 20.”

The main issues Travelzoo’s deal experts come across each week are:

1. deals have already sold out or are no longer available at the price originally advertised,
2. there are significant hidden costs involved that change the final price of the deal or
3. the deals cannot be booked online and sales teams are not aware of the deal when customers call to book.

Dunk said, “The majority of UK consumers now start their holiday research online. We are urging them to be vigilant for misleading deals and to alert the Advertising Standards Authority if they find offers or marketing claims that they feel to be deceptive. Practically, without the public playing their part, the new legislation will be difficult to enforce.”