STA Travel

STA Travel is a travel agency specializing in youth travel. It is owned by DKSH, with headquarters in Zurich and London.[1]

STA Travel Holding Ltd
Private
IndustryYouth travel
Founded1971 (1971)
HeadquartersZurich, London, Australia
Area served
Global
Key people
Casper Urhammer, Chief Executive Officer[1]
ServicesTravel agency
Number of employees
Almost 2,000[2]
Websitewww.statravel.com

It has almost 2,000 employees working in over 200 stores worldwide.[2]

Under the BUNAC brand, the company arranges working holidays and volunteering.

Originally an acronym for "Student Travel Australia", the company was later branded as "Student Travel Association" and now brands itself as an acronym for "Start The Adventure".

History

STA Travel dates back to 1971.[1]

In 1979, two students in Australia organized the company after returning from their travels.[2] STA Travel was an acronym for Student Travel Australia.[3]

In August 2010, the company acquired Bridge the World, targeting an older and more affluent demographic.[4]

In November 2012, John Constable became chief executive officer of the company.[5]

In June 2013, the company signed a marketing deal worth NZ$1.2 million annually with Tourism New Zealand to promote travel to New Zealand.[6]

In September 2013, the company signed a similar marketing deal with Tourism Australia worth £6 million over 3 years.[7]

In May 2014, the company stopped offering escorted tours that offer elephant rides.[8]

In November 2018, the company produced a video featuring Skinny Living that showcased travel destinations in the United States.[9]

Controversies

In May 2019, the company initially refused to assist a couple who missed their long haul flight home due to a delayed domestic flight on Air India, costing their customers an extra £2,900. Their initial refusal to assist their customers was despite the United Kingdom's Package Travel Regulations 1992 and STA Travel having issued to their customers a certificate under the ATOL regime when they purchased their holiday. After negative publicity in The Independent newspaper[10], the next day the company admitted their error, apologised and reimbursed their aggrieved customers.[11]

In April 2020, the company was forced to pay AU$14 million as a result of a complaint brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that the company misled consumers that purchased the MultiFLEX Pass by advertising that they would not have to pay anything further for date changes to their flights.[12]

References
  1. "Diethelm Keller Group – STA Travel". DKSH.
  2. "Our Story". STA Travel.
  3. "IT'S OUR 40TH! JOIN US ON A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE…". STA Travel. 27 March 2019.
  4. "STA Travel acquires Bridge the World brand". Travel Weekly (UK). 9 August 2010.
  5. "The Scan: Dohop relaunches and more travel tech news". Phocuswire. 1 November 2012.
  6. "Tourism New Zealand and STA Travel Join Forces To Boost Youth Travel With $1.2m MOU". World Youth Student and Educational Confederation. 16 June 2013.
  7. "Tourism Australia strikes £6m deal with STA Travel". Travel Weekly (UK). 16 September 2013.
  8. Davies, Phil (16 May 2014). "STA Travel drops animal attractions". Travel Weekly (UK).
  9. Hayhurst, Lee (25 April 2018). "STA Travel and Brand USA collaborate on Skinny Living interactive video campaign". Travolution.
  10. Calder, Simon (2 May 2019). "TRAVEL FIRM ABANDONS COUPLE IN INDIA BECAUSE THEY 'HADN'T BOOKED A PACKAGE DEAL'". The Independent.
  11. "Bridge the World caught out under new package regulations". Travel Weekly. Travel Weekly Group. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2020. Package Travel Regulations state transport and accommodation, sold at an inclusive price, is a package and a travel company providing a package is responsible for the damage caused by any failure by its suppliers, such as a delayed flight. A spokeswoman from the company said: “Bridge the World has carefully investigated the situation involving the Gowers and the issues they experienced on their return from Kerala. As a result of this investigation, Bridge the World will be offering the Gowers a full refund for the alternative flights purchased and sincerely apologises for any inconvenience and upset caused.”
  12. "THE FEDERAL COURT HAS ORDERED STA TRAVEL TO PAY $14 MILLION IN PENALTIES FOR MAKING FALSE OR MISLEADING CLAIMS WHEN ADVERTISING ITS MULTIFLEX PASS PRODUCT". Travel Weekly. 24 April 2020.
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