A leading Northern Ireland travel industry figure has urged local holidaymakers to be more careful when booking their next trip.

Speaking in the wake of the collapse of XL Leisure Group and Zoom Airlines, the Chairperson for ABTA Northern Ireland, Sandra Corkin, warns of the dangers of booking 'DIY' holidays with un-bonded companies.

And she claims that more and more people are turning to travel agents again following the recent upheaval in the UK travel industry, which has resulted in several major companies going out of business.

Sandra said: "A lot of people who made their own travel arrangements lost their money.

"If they had booked their holiday through a travel agent then they would have been doing business with companies which are bonded. This means that the travel agent is under an obligation to provide travellers with alternative flights at no extra cost should an airline or operator collapse."

The recent demise of XL and Zoom has awakened travellers to the financial dangers of booking DIY holidays where they have no insurance - the companies they book with are under no obligation to help them out.

The local ABTA chief says there is so much confusion in the travelling public's eyes - often people who aren't covered think they are.

"If you book through an agent then you are covered and can get your money back. Travel agents add insurance to your holiday package and only work with bonded companies," added Sandra.

"If you book a DIY holiday and the airline you booked with goes bust, you have no financial protection other than your credit card. If you book flights by credit card and the airline goes bust then your credit card provider has to reimburse you.

"Many people think that ABTA will cover them on a DIY holiday, but this is not the case.

"ABTA only covers you if an agent bonded with them goes out of business - but not an individual un-bonded airline. It's the agent's job to cover you if an airline bonded with them goes out of business, but if you book through an un-bonded company then you are not protected."

"DIY holidays are always a gamble," she added, "and it's a myth that it's cheaper to book a DIY holiday. Agents have access to cheaper options as they are allocated a certain number of seats and hotel rooms on a wholesale basis.

"Sometimes agents can be slightly more expensive, but this is because they automatically add on insurance to the holiday package to protect their customer should anything happen."

Sandra says that people are now turning to travel agents again in increasing numbers, not only for the financial protection, but also for the sense of security and peace of mind. They know they can call in and speak to an agent or pick up the phone any time.

"It is the agent's first priority to get customers sorted out, whereas with a DIY holiday the travellers are on their own," said Sandra.

"Travel agents are there to help pick up the pieces should anything happen to go wrong with an airline. Basically the message is: no agent, no backup".