What a day it was at Travel Daily’s inaugural Travel24 event at the Sofitel Darling Harbour Sydney on Thursday, with attendees leaving bright-eyed (and some slightly tipsy) after learning about what the future holds for the Australian travel industry.
Close to 260 guests made the journey to be part of the fun and learning, which included 10 actioned-packed sessions across all aspects of the travel ecosystem.
Starting off proceedings with a bang was a keynote speech delivered by Federal Tourism Minister, Don Farrell, who gave his take on where the industry is going from a government perspective.
Guests at Travel24 were then given the rare opportunity of asking a sitting Federal Minister questions from the floor, providing plenty of extra insight into hot topics facing the sector, including the plight of the embattled Rex Airlines.
The very charismatic Azure Antionette also graced the stage to provide some sage advice to travel companies around the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
One of the key takeaways was for companies to avoid being cynical and treating DEI as though it were part of campaign strategy.
“DEI is not signage and it’s not ticking boxes,” Antoinette explained.
The “crazy” evolution of air travel was broached by CVFR’s Ram Chhabra, while marketing and branding expert Dan Monheit regaled the audience with how travel companies can adapt to the rapid changes in consumer behaviour.
Dan is no stranger to Travel Daily readers, having helped us make sense of plenty of vexing issues over the last 12 months, including balancing the idea of strong travel demand for destinations with governments who may not necessarily want more visitors.
Meanwhile, travel advisors found themselves fixated on a joint session hosted by Anna Shannon, Charlie Trevena and Wendy Addinsall.
The three well-known entrepreneurs specialise in supporting travel agents to be better at their jobs, and they did not disappoint, delivering a range of tips and astute commentary for the throng of agents present.
Ocean cruise and land tour operators also had the chance to discuss key challenges facing the sectors over the next two years through informative panel sessions, including how best to be sustainable, how to handle the rising threat of geopolitical tensions, and in what way AI will filter into the decision-making of consumers.
And of course, no big event would be complete without a good window of time to let the hair down and have a few drinks, and the large contingent who stuck around was testament to Travel24’s engagement, and to the efforts of the Business Publishing Group team behind the scenes who put it all together.
A special mention to the sponsors who helped make it all happen, namely CVFR Travel Group, Expedia, Inspiring Vacations, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and Infinity Holidays.
Meanwhile back in the drudgery of the office, the editorial team was churning out plenty of big news in travel as well.
There was no doubt a level of catharsis for some readers who learned of Alan Joyce’s pay for 2023 being slashed by more than $9 million.
The decision taken by the board was largely tied to reputation damage caused by two major Qantas controversies endured under Joyce’s tenure, namely misleading booking practices around cancelled flights and an illegal move to outsource ground handling services.
While there were no findings of “deliberate wrongdoing”, the review by the carrier determined that mistakes were made by the then-leadership that correlated with major customer service issues and brand damage. Tough to argue.
In fact, Qantas is still peddling hard to repair that brand damage, and it would appear they have a long way to go before many consumers and travel agents can fully trust The Flying Kangaroo again.
In some major positive news for the industry, Australia will be added to the US global entry program through a phased launch from January next year.
The decision by the United States to incorporate Australia into the program has the potential to slash significant time, including reduced airport queuing and expedited security clearances.
Under the pilot phase, 1,000 Australian travellers who have visited the US five times or more in the last 12 months will be eligible to take part in January 2025, which will be followed a green light late next year for an unlimited number of Australians to participate in the program.
Interested parties must apply online and undergo a background check and a personal interview to be eligible and must also pay a US$100 application fee.
Well, that’s a wrap from me, I do hope you all get some well-deserved rest and relaxation this weekend and keep up-to-date with all the news from Travel Daily, Cruise Weekly and travelBulletin.
Bye for now.
