By ADAM BISHOP, Travel Daily Editor
The delicate tightrope that industry bodies like the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) must tread to please all corners of the travel community has hopefully become a little less precarious this week.
Flagged at its Beyond Borders conference in Brisbane last year, the inaugural members of the Independent Travel Agents Association (ITAA) have now been named, a dozen picks spanning home-based, boutique, regional, and specialist segments.
The braintrust of independent heavy-hitters – who will meet at least twice a year to contribute and report against a set of prescribed KPIs – represent a significant step in the progression of ATIA’s A30 strategic plan.
ATIA CEO Dean Long declared the first tranche of ITAA members “a proud moment”.
“We launched ITAA to make sure that every sector of the industry has representation and a voice in the direction of the association,” CEO Dean Long said.
“These are experienced, dedicated professionals who will make the committee stronger from day one.”
Under Long’s tenure, the sense is that he is acutely aware of the value of having strength in numbers, particularly when needing to lobby government on key issues impacting the industry.
It’s certainly true that a fragmented approach to advocacy on big-ticket items tends to be less effective in cajoling government action – especially in an increasingly fickle and inattentive political environment.
This has seen a broad-church approach applied by ATIA in recent years, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a few scuffles in the pews every now and again.
In securing the grunt of the big end of town, some in the industry have questioned whether the smaller, independent players have been left behind.
Not so, says ATIA for the record, pointing to initiatives like the new ITAA as vindication that it continues to battle for the needs of every type of business – no matter how big or how small.
Speaking on stage at Beyond Borders, ATIA chair Christian Hunter said the organisation recognised that there were “some independent agents” who felt the association favours larger businesses.
“As a board, we would fundamentally disagree with that, but [ITAA] is our opportunity to demonstrate that we are open to constructive dialogue.”
In canvassing some reactions last year in our reporting, the noise coming back was broadly supportive of the concept.
Some we spoke to wanted to see more meat on the bones before commenting, while others were wary of anything tokenistic.
However, one criticism was ITAA being only open to fee paying members, a point rebuked by Long when he spoke to Travel Daily last year.
He pointed out that while representation was indeed only open to anyone who is ATIA-accredited – whether that be full or concessional – it should be preferable for smaller agencies to be part of the conversation rather than sitting on the sidelines.
One of inaugural members is Emma Whiting from Emma Whiting Travel, who said she chose to be part of ITAA because independent travel advisors work closely with clients every day and are navigating an increasingly complex landscape.
“That perspective matters. It’s important that our voice is represented in a way that reflects both the customer experience and the commercial realities of operating an independent agency,” Whiting said.
View the full list of ITAA members HERE.
In other news now and it was a pleasure to be part of cruise history this week, with Travel Daily on the ground in Sydney to cover Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ (RSSC) celebration of 10 years of local operations.
Fittingly taking place at the top of the InterContinental Sydney overlooking Sydney Harbour where its ships have sailed many times, long-standing local chief Lisa Pile used the occasion to thank all the partners in the room who have made RSSC a success.
She also revealed the good omen she received on day one that made her confident of its long-term success in ANZ.
“The first booking we ever took was at 6.27am [via] Cruise World from New Zealand…a $225,000 world cruise,” Pile recalled.
“I knew we were going to have good karma from that moment, and it has been an absolute superb ride from then on.”
While we have recently reported on some ructions at the top for RSSC’s global parent Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings, the picture on the ground in Australia for brands like RSSC is far more stable.
Demand for RSSC is higher than ever from Aussies and there are many more ships on the way, with Pile recently telling TD the real battle now is to ensure agents and consumers are booking far enough ahead of time to guarantee a cabin.
Here’s to another decade of success at RSSC!
Meanwhile, Aussie sentiment for travel to the United States continues to be under the microscope, with a new report from Southern Cross Travel Insurance showing the once unquestionably dominant market is starting to lose its sheen with Americophiles.
Citing factors like political instability, a concerning 51% of Aussies who have “always wanted to visit” the US are now feeling less inclined to book a trip.
While I have personally spoken with plenty of people over the last year who have loved their latest American sojourn, as we know perception is king, and the litany of polarising Trump-related headlines alone must be a constant headache for the likes of Brand USA to contend with.
Just this week, we reported on a threat by the US Department of Homeland Security to remove customs and immigration services from airports in cities that are not, in its view, cooperating enough on immigration enforcement.
These ‘sanctuary cities’ include major American hubs like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, and if the threat was to be carried out, it would effectively block all international flights.
High-profile Trump foe, California Governor Gavin Newsom, wasted little time in lambasting the threat on social media.
“If you thought the economy was bad with Trump’s war driving prices at the pump up, just wait until international travel is halted at some of the busiest airports in the world.”
A tough environment to grow travel confidence in, it would seem.
And because it’s Saturday, and I’ve just inadvertently depressed you with a dose of destabilising bluster from a US security chief, let’s end on a romantic note.
Please don’t judge me but I am an unabashed fan of Married at First Sight, a point of constant ridicule in my office I hasten to add (there has to be some closet-watchers amongst them – I’ve seen the ratings).
But my two worlds collided in the MAFS finale, with travel and tortured reality TV coming together for a special moment.
Before leaving Australian shores, Disney Wonder sailed majestically past loved-up couple Stella and Filip during their final vows near Sydney Harbour.
Moments later, the pair made MAFS history when Filip got down on one knee and delivered a genuine marriage proposal – a dash of Disney magic right there.
Adam Bishop
Travel Daily Editor
[email protected]
