Being a registered company is the legal minimum. Industry membership goes further than that. TOAB and ATAB are Bangladesh's two most recognized travel industry bodies, and membership in either is not automatic.
What each membership means, and why it matters when you are choosing a travel agency in Bangladesh.
TOAB is the principal trade body representing tour operators in Bangladesh. It is a government-recognized association that works with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism to develop and regulate the country's outbound and inbound tourism industry.
TOAB sets professional standards for its members, advocates for the travel industry in Bangladesh and provides a framework of accountability for tour operators operating in the country. Membership in TOAB places an agency within the formal, recognized travel industry community of Bangladesh.
When you book a tour with a TOAB member agency, you are booking with an operator that has been formally accepted by Bangladesh's leading tour operators association. The agency has met TOAB's membership requirements and is subject to the association's professional standards.
If a dispute arises, TOAB membership gives clients an additional avenue for escalation beyond just contacting the agency directly. An unregistered agency operating outside any industry body offers no such accountability layer.
ITS Holidays Ltd is a TOAB Associate Member. Our membership is part of how we maintain accountability to our clients and to the wider travel industry in Bangladesh.
ATAB is the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh, one of the country's oldest and most established travel industry bodies. It represents travel agents operating across Bangladesh and works to uphold professional conduct, ethical standards and client protection within the sector.
ATAB membership is open to legitimate, operating travel agents who meet the association's eligibility requirements. Membership is not issued to unregistered operators.
ATAB membership signals that ITS Holidays has been formally recognized as a legitimate travel agent by one of Bangladesh's most established industry associations since 2016. That is a long time before many agencies in Bangladesh had even thought about industry membership.
Our membership serial number is 3851, issued on 23 April 2016. This predates our company's formal incorporation in 2018, reflecting that our founders were already active and recognized in the travel industry before ITS Holidays Ltd was legally registered.
That early recognition matters. It shows that the people behind ITS Holidays were not new to travel when they incorporated the company. They already had standing in the industry.
When you hand over money for a Hajj package, an Umrah trip or a family holiday abroad, you are placing real trust in that agency.
Bangladesh has thousands of travel agencies. A large number operate without proper registration, without industry membership and without any external accountability. We hold membership in both TOAB and ATAB.
If your agency is not registered with any industry body, there is no one to escalate to if things go wrong. With a TOAB or ATAB member, there is an additional layer of accountability protecting you as a client.
Each membership was issued by an external body after review. That is what makes them meaningful, and it is why we have held ours without interruption.
Our industry memberships sit alongside a broader set of verified credentials. For clients who want to do their due diligence before booking, here is the complete picture.
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TOAB and ATAB membership is not automatic. It requires meeting eligibility criteria, submitting documentation and being formally accepted by the association. ITS Holidays Ltd holds active membership in both.
