The tour operator group’s UK and Ireland branch has come back to SPAA after it withdrew about 10 years ago. 

“The travel sector has faced a particularly turbulent time in the past 24 months and we firmly believe that the best approach to addressing these challenges is for the industry to come together with one voice,” said Joanne Dooey, president of SPAA. 

She hailed successes of the travel industry: “We’re now seeing something of a resurgence, with consumers returning to high street travel agents because they seek the security and comfort of a human touch point with experienced travel advisors looking after their travel arrangements.”

SPAA was founded in 1921, and currently has 120 members and 92 associate members.

Belinda Vazquez, Tui’s retail director, added: “We already work closely with our key Scottish travel agent partners and hope that we can develop these relationships further and work with other members to support the Scottish travel marketplace.”