AN update from the Australian Federation of Travel Agents
We start the new financial year with a new CEO and a very different landscape ahead of us.
Darren Rudd brings the skills, relationships and expertise which are so critical to making sure that our sector is supported through this.
COVID has already been a massive hit to Government’s bottom line at a Federal, State and Territory level. In order to access ongoing support, we need to keep up the fight. We will continue to focus on the resilience of agents, the economic contribution and the critical role we play in supporting consumers and the wider travel and tourism sector.
From his very first day in the job, Darren has been front-footing the case for our member agents. In fact, from day one, Darren and a number of agents were briefing local MPs, raising awareness and building support while continuing to amplify our voice in Canberra and with State and Territory Governments.
We also have been working with individual members, helping them tell their stories and the brutal reality of life as a travel agent in today’s environment. There’s nothing like hearing it direct from an agent whether you’re a politician or a journalist!
We successfully engaged with the two shortlisted bidders for Virgin Australia, securing commitments to honour pre-paid tickets. This was a massive win for agents and for consumers.
The feedback on our range of webinars continues to be fantastic. We are continuing to deliver what our members tell us they want and many of our webinars have been oversubscribed. Recent topics have ranged from ‘Having Difficult Conversations’ with Jo Hanlon through to the TwinLife Marketing Workshop Series.
There’s no doubt these are challenging times, with more challenges ahead. Together, we have a powerful voice and once that reaches right across this big, beautiful nation. Let’s stay focused and working together as we shape our future and Australia’s recovery.
