U.K. Travel Buyers Assn. Rejoins IBTA

The Institute of Travel Management, the principal travel management organization in the United Kingdom and Ireland, rejoined the International Business Travel Association after an 18-month absence, possibly foreshadowing the alliance of other national associations with IBTA.

This move by ITM follows its position as one of five international signatories to the Paragon Agreement, which it signed at the National Business Travel Association convention this summer in Salt Lake City. The Paragon Agreement's other signatories include the Canadian Business Travel Association, Germany's Verband Deutsches Reismanagement, the Australasian Business Travel Association and NBTA.

Although NBTA officially reached out globally with the Paragon Agreement and there have been discussions of partnering with IBTA, there are no concrete plans yet to align, according to Allison Marble, NBTA spokesperson. "NBTA supports various international business travel associations coming together and thinks that it helps the industry worldwide," she said. "NBTA is looking toward reestablishing or strengthening a connection with IBTA. We are in discussions and through that hope to expand our relationships with all of the individual member organizations within IBTA. That's probably our ultimate goal: to connect with each of those groups."

IBTA, which represents members in countries throughout Europe and in Australia, estimates that by 2005 it will represent 80 percent of all business travel associations in Europe. The U.K. and Ireland join current member countries, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden.