The Elite consortium will not merge with Advantage in the near future, Elite chairman Wayne Darrock has insisted.

Speaking to TTG at the Elite conference last week on board Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, Darrock said there was “no need” for the two consortia to unite.

“It’s two years since we became involved with Advantage, and there is no need to change the model. I can’t see a merger happening.” Advantage and Elite agreed in 2008 to operate as one commercially but remain separate entities.

Darrock was speaking after an Elite director Sally Carrick said the consortium's conference could merge with Advantage's in 2012. The 2011 Elite conference has been confirmed as taking place in Jersey.

Darrock said it would be up to the board of directors to decide if Elite would merge completely with Advantage, but he added: “So far, when the members have been asked about this, there has been a resounding no.”

Attendance at the Elite conference was smaller than in previous years, with 19 agencies represented at the conference, along with suppliers and principal partners.

Darrock attributed the low attendance to the conference taking place onboard a cruise ship, over half term.

“We had the conference booked on board this ship two years ago,” he said, “but then the downturn hit and we had to move it. The ship was only doing the Southampton – Le Havre itinerary this week and over August bank holiday, when we thought more people might be away, so we had to do it over half term.”

He added that the conference would not be held on a ship again for at least a few years. “It’s a superb product,” he said, “but you are a bit more limited with a ship – you can only do this route twice a year, and you have to think about the price, and cabins, and if people only want to come for a day. There’s a lot more to  consider.”