ATAS is now ATIA Accredited

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 23:31:24 GMT

At our inaugural Beyond Borders Summit, we introduced Project A30. This represents a comprehensive reset for the Association and the industry, with the goal of fostering long-term growth, innovation and sustainability.

One of the key initiatives announced was the retirement of the ATAS brand and a transition to one unified brand - ATIA Accredited. This transition aims to strengthen consumer trust and create a trusted travel ecosystem that connects suppliers, agencies and consumers more seamlessly.

It's important to note that there will be no changes to the accreditation program or the renewal process and requirements, however your next membership certificate will be fully branded as ATIA accredited. And right now you are able to download the ATIA Accredited logo suite for use in your marketing collateral, websites, email signatures and business cards. Click here to access the logo suite today.

Other Initiatives Announced

Industry-Led Protections: As part of its strategic commitment to the industry’s future, ATIA is developing new supplier and agency protection measures to safeguard both members and travellers. This program is designed to reduce risk, improve accountability, and enhance confidence across the sector. A full proposal for industry-wide consultation is expected in 2025, signalling a collaborative approach to enhancing consumer protections without overburdening businesses with unnecessary regulations.
Workforce Development Initiatives: ATIA will introduce a suite of programs aimed at attracting and retaining talent in the travel industry. This includes a Gap Year program that will invite school leavers to experience careers in travel, as well as the Travel Career Kickstart Training Program aimed at providing new starters with the skills they need to enter the workforce. These initiatives are critical in addressing the industry’s skill shortages and creating pathways for future generations of travel professionals.
Modern Slavery Reporting Solutions: ATIA is also leading the charge on streamlining compliance with Modern Slavery regulations. Working with partners, the Association will develop a bespoke solution that integrates with existing accreditation processes, reducing the burden on businesses and helping the industry address this critical issue more efficiently.
Data Insight Series: Finally, ATIA announced the launch of its Enterprise Benchmarking Reports, a new data insight series that provides members with tailored performance comparisons against industry peers. This tool, leveraging de-identified ATAS and economic data, will offer valuable insights into market trends and member performance, allowing businesses to make informed decisions based on both historical and current data. It builds on ATIA's monthly Travel Trends Reports

We've also hosted a webinar discussing these initiatives; and released audio from the Beyond Borders Travel Summit as these announcements were made.

Travel’s Night of Nights Back in Sydney!

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 21:32:53 GMT

Keep 26 October free for the 2024 National Travel Industry Awards in Sydney, with Singapore Airlines delighted to return as the major sponsor.

The highly successful Friday night networking and finalists’ celebrations will also return, kickstarting the Travel Industry’s night of nights at the ICC Sydney.

NTIA WINNER QUOTES:
Mickey Mann, Travel Corporation, Sales Manager (WA, NSW, & ACT), & 2023 NTIA Winner Most Outstanding Sales Executive — Land Supply

‘The Friday night event was such a good opportunity to mingle with my fellow finalists and peers from the Travel Industry. It’s such a great industry, and events like NTIA and the pre-NTIA event forge it all together and make us really united. NTIA is an opportunity to celebrate all that is good in our industry and to celebrate passionate people, which is what I truly believe is the driving force behind Travel.’

Helen Courias, Holland America Line, Key Account Manager, & 2023 NTIA Winner Most Outstanding Sales Executive — Cruise
‘It meant the world to win at NTIA 2023, especially in such amazing company, but honestly, I think all the finalists are winners. Sydney is my hometown, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone shine at this year’s NTIAs and to the coming together of our industry and professionals and what we stand for in each category.’

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO ATIA CEO DEAN LONG:
‘NTIA represents the best of the best in the travel industry, and ATIA is excited to host this year’s gala event in partnership with Singapore Airlines. With 2024 already a massive year for Travel, we will be definitely ready to celebrate by October, so keep the 25th and 26th free. Expect many more exciting announcements as we lead up to the event.’

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO SINGAPORE AIRLINES GENERAL MANAGER AGENCY SALES GREG MCJARROW:
‘Singapore Airlines is delighted to, once again, be the major sponsor for NTIA, recognising Travel Industry excellence. This year will be an even bigger celebration of the vibrancy and resilience that our industry continues to display.’

Media Contact:
LJ Loch
E lj.loch@atia.travel
M 0488 038 555

Save 26 Oct 2024 for NTIA

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 16:11:23 GMT

Fresh on the heels of the resoundingly successful 2023 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIAs), the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) is delighted to announce that the 2024 NTIAs will be held on Saturday 26 October.

The well-attended Friday pre-NTIA networking and finalists events will also be repeated so hold Friday 25 October in your calendar too!\

This year's gala brought together the titans of Australian travel, celebrating industry excellence and the remarkable professionals who define it.

The 2023 event at Crown Melbourne was a resounding success with over 1,300 travel professionals gathering in a display of unity and shared purpose.

Major Sponsor, Singapore Airlines, was instrumental in delivering another NTIA to remember. The afterparty, sponsored by Viking, extended the revelry.

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO ATIA CEO DEAN LONG
“We are so thrilled with the tremendous response to our 2023 NTIAs and we look forward to going even bigger and better in 2024.”

“Mark your calendars for another unforgettable celebration of the travel industry's achievements at our 2024 NTIAs on 26 October 2024 with the pre-events happening Friday 25 October. Location to be
announced soon – 2024 is going to see ATIA out and about all around Australia.”

ATIA Advocacy - October

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 21:48:48 GMT

It’s been a big month in advocacy, with the Senate Select Committee’s swift Inquiry into Bilateral Air Service Agreements both commencing and being finalised since the last newsletter! The Inquiry was called off the back of the Government’s decision to not allow Qatar additional air rights and is a critical first step in reforming a broken system. Dean appeared before the Select Committee to give evidence on the first day of the public hearings, and we submitted a comprehensive submission containing key recommendations for reform. The Select Committee’s report called for the Government to immediately review its decision to not grant Qatar additional air rights, along with nine other recommendations. It was great to see a number of these aligned with recommendations in ATIA’s submission, and our evidence feature in the report. You can read our submission here, and the Select Committee’s report here.

Dean and I are in Canberra last week where we had further discussions with key Ministers and Departments about progressing recommendations in Bilateral Air Services Report, priorities for the Aviation White Paper, as well as skills and training issues. Dean also appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT)’s Inquiry into Australia’s tourism and international education sectors, giving evidence in support of our submission filed earlier this year.

The Roundtables for the Aviation Green Paper have also kicked off, and I was pleased to represent ATIA members at the inaugural Roundtable in Melbourne. There were around 50 industry leaders present, and it was great to discuss reform priorities with the Department of Infrastructure and Transport, who are leading the process. These roundtables are an important stage in the process of developing the policy direction for the aviation sector out to 2050.

We will again be representing ATIA at topic-specific roundtables being held by the Department over the next two months, starting with the session on competition, consumer protections and disability access settings, and a visitor economy specific roundtable.

In skills and training news, Jobs and Skills Australia handed down the latest Skills Priority List. Travel Consultants are again recognised as being in shortage nationally. ATIA thanks members, in particular our National Taskforce for Skills and Careers, which helped provide the information needed make sure this occupation stays on this list. The Skills Priority List informs a number of key Government decisions, including around funding for traineeships. We are continuing to engage with SkillsEquipped as they prepare a workforce plan for the travel and tourism sector to be released in the coming month.

During the month the Federal Government also announced an Inquiry into COVID-19 response, to make recommendations to improve measure in the event of future pandemics. We wrote to the Prime Minister calling for an expansion of the terms of reference to include the entire health response across state and territory governments. ATIA will also be including a call in our submission for the review to look at the substantial issues in Austrade’s handling of the distribution of Consumer Travel Support Grant funds of $270 Million.

ATIA Advocacy - September

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 11:15:29 GMT

This month we have continued to be active in discussions with political leaders in Canberra to progress key member priorities. Since the last update we have met with over 13 key Ministers, including the Prime Minister, as well as over 10 Shadow Ministers and Members of Parliament. Discusses covered a lot of ground, ranging from the economic importance of the travel industry, aviation competition policy in general and specifically the Qatar decision, as well as employment, skills and training, and industrial relations changes.

The rebranding to ATIA has already proven to be beneficial from a political perspective, leading to a clearer understanding of our membership base and a keenness to engage in discussions around the importance of travel.

Aviation competition Policy

With a spotlight on competition in the aviation sector, we recently hosted travel and tourism industry stakeholders to hear from the Assistant Minister for Competition at the National Press Club. It’s great to see that the recently announced Competition Policy Review will include the competitiveness of Australia’s aviation sector. We’re looking forward to contributing to that review and highlighting the benefits a competitive aviation sector brings.

In relation to the Qatar air rights issue, we met with Minister King in mid-August to advance our case about the crucial importance of competition. Interestingly, following the ongoing heat on Minister King’s decision, last week the Federal Opposition secured sufficient support in the Senate to set up an Inquiry into all Federal Government decisions relating to proposals for additional services to Australia’s major airports in the past 12 months. ATIA will be engaging with this Inquiry and will keep members updated.

The Aviation Green Paper has also been released, marking an important step towards setting the policy direction for the aviation sector out to 2050. ATIA is engaging with key stakeholders and will participate in the submission process.

Employment, Skills and Training

ATIA was recently appointed as a member of SkillsEQuipped, the recently established Jobs and Skills Council funded by the Federal Government to support industry engagement in relation to skills and training issues. We’ll be representing ATIA members as SkillsEQuipped works towards developing a workforce plan for the travel and tourism sector and reviews VET training products to ensure they meet the changing needs of the industry.

We also recently hosted a meeting of ATIA’s National Taskforce for Skills and Careers where we discussed current workforce issues as well as opportunities to provide input to Government and pursue priorities for the industry. Real insights from industry are invaluable when engaging with government about the needs of the sector.

Industrial Relations

Last week the Federal Government introduced the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023. This covers a range of reform areas, including criminalising deliberate wage underpayments, changing the definition and arrangements for casual employees, and a re-examination of the independent contractor arrangements. We are monitoring the impacts on members and advocating to support member interests as debate on the Bill continues.

AFTA Advocacy - August

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:57:19 GMT

Since our last newsletter, AFTA has appointed a new Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, Ingrid Fraser. Ingrid brings extensive expertise in policy development, advocacy, government relations and stakeholder engagement at all levels of government. Her appointment aligns with AFTA’s key emphasis on supporting travel businesses and the wider sector in rebuilding the workforce post-pandemic, and strengthening the industry’s ability to engage with Governments around Australia.

Continuing our focus on addressing skills and workforce shortages in the travel sector, we have written to all State and Territory Skills and Training Ministers to advocate for entry level travel qualifications to be supported with government funding. The ability to access subsidised or fee-free qualifications would serve to remove some of the barriers people may face when looking to gain qualifications in travel and enter employment in the sector. This week we have also made a submission to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) comprehensive review of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), which describes all occupations in the labour market. Ensuring ANZSCO is correct and up to date means the right data will be collected to help policy makers make informed decisions around education and skills initiatives, as well as funding.

Also on the workforce front, the Federal Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell, recently announced $7.5 million to be shared between State and Territory government bodies to attract workers to the visitor economy. Grants have been awarded in the Choose Tourism Program to develop new programs and campaigns, extend existing activities to attract new workers, and ensure they have the right skills. We are liaising with the grant winners to ensure that the travel sector is adequately represented and can benefit from this initiative.

Lastly, you will have likely seen the recent decision from Government to deny Qatar Airways’ application to add 28 flights per week to its services from Doha to Australia. We have written to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, seeking answers as to why this import measure to increase supply and competition was not acted on, and we are continuing our advocacy around improving competition across the travel sector.

Singapore Airlines returns as NTIA major sponsor

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 16:35:09 GMT

The 2023 NTIAs are fast approaching and celebrating excellence by once again partnering with the best.

The highly anticipated National Travel Industry Awards will be held in Melbourne on the 18^th of November and AFTA is thrilled to announce Singapore Airlines as the major sponsor for the event for the second year running.

Singapore Airlines has committed to supporting the NTIA under a multi-year partnership, returning as major sponsor.

The NTIAs will be a celebration of the recovery and thriving success of the Australian travel sector and what our businesses and people now represent.

Quotes from Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) CEO Dean Long (who is available for interview)

“AFTA is thrilled to be hosting NTIA again this year and welcoming Singapore Airlines returning as our major sponsor.”

“The Awards are an excellent opportunity to come together to celebrate and acknowledge the innovation, determination and resilience of our people and our sector.”

“We thank Singapore Airlines for their incredible support and we look forward to seeing everyone in Melbourne in November for a much deserved celebration and revamped approach to NTIA.”

Quotes from Singapore Airlines General Manager Agency Sales Greg McJarrow (who is available for interview)

“Singapore Airlines is proud to continue its support of the National Travel Industry Awards as major sponsor.”

“We are pleased to play a part in the continuation of this very important event to recognise the industry and its people. We look forward to celebrating with the industry the successes of the past year and look to the future with continued optimism and positivity.”

MEDIA CONTACT: LJ Loch 0488 038 555 or lj.loch@afta.com.au

Gow-Gates Insurance Broking Group appoints Judith Crompton, Director of Travel Insurance Services

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 12:04:51 GMT

Gow-Gates Insurance Broking Group increases its position and activities into Travel Insurance, with the major appointment of Judith Crompton - Director, Travel Insurance Services.

After 45 years providing insurance and services to the travel industry Gow-Gates is pleased to announce the major appointment of Judith Crompton, who will assume the role of Director, Travel Insurance Services. With a wealth of experience in travel, tourism, and insurance, both Judith and Gow-Gates are poised to revolutionise product offerings and service standards for the travel insurance industry.

Judith’s previous roles include CEO of Cover-More Asia Pacific (part of the Zurich Group) and Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Australia. She brings an international perspective to this position, gained from her impressive career in Australia, Europe, India, China, and Southeast Asia.

“I am excited about joining Gow-Gates and expanding their truly innovative customer focussed travel insurance operation. I have long admired Gow-Gates for their professionalism, service ethics and forward-thinking approach to the insurance industry”.

Drawing upon existing partnerships and pursuing expansion through novel distribution channels, this venture promises a fresh and dynamic entry into the realm of travel insurance for travel agents, tour operators and suppliers. By capitalising on established relationships and forging new ones, Gow-Gates is set to deliver unparalleled value and customer satisfaction.

Coinciding with Gow-Gates Group's 60th anniversary (one of the longest operating Australian Insurance Broker), the appointment of Judith signifies an exciting chapter of growth, building upon the company's over four-decade-long leadership in the travel industry.

Pictured below, Judith Crompton

For media inquiries, please contact:

Suzana Strbac
Director, Client Engagement
Gow-Gates Group
0410507973
sstrbac@gowgates.com.au

About Gow-Gates Group
https://www.gowgates.com.au/

Gow-Gates Insurance Broking Group is one of the largest Australian owned insurance brokers and is recognised for its range of insurance solutions and outstanding customer service. With a rich heritage spanning 60 years, Gow-Gates has established itself as a leader in the travel industry, providing innovative insurance products and solutions tailored to the unique needs of travel agents and tour operators. The expansion into travel insurance represents a natural progression for the company, fuelled by its commitment to excellence and a customer-centric approach.

AFTA’s Global Advocacy work

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:59:50 GMT

AFTA CEO Dean Long this week attended the global WTAAA meeting in Seoul, Korea.

AFTA is proud to be a founding member of the World Travel Agent Association Alliance (WTAAA), the primary conduit for all IATA and agency matters globally, in 2008. The WTAAA represents 11 regional markets across the globe, with regional and direct member associations in 67 countries worldwide.

Quotes from Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) CEO Dean Long:
“As we enter a new recovery phase locally, the work we do globally to shape the international framework is critical especially given so many of the local issues in each market are born from global decisions."

“Many of the regulations that are implemented in Australia are set globally and they do have a direct impact on Australian consumers and trade.”

“This weekend I was in Korea with AFTA’s colleagues from NZ, USA, Canada, South America, Korea, South Africa and Europe as we reviewed the global outcomes of the latest decisions by IATA. While each market has a local consultative body, most final decisions that determine how we settle and pay airlines and the standards around NDC are made globally."

“At this meeting, among the issues considered, we signed off on a vital project relating to our international requirements for the future of NDC. This will ensure our members’ clients can access the products and services they wish to purchase through our members.”

AFTA Submission showcases Economic Importance of Travel

Wed, 03 May 2023 11:01:11 GMT

The important role of ATAS members in facilitating bookings of inbound travel, accommodation and all the related services which underpin Australia’s Tourism Industry deserves more Government recognition and support.

That’s the simple message of AFTA’s detailed submission to Federal Parliament’s Inquiry into Australia’s Tourism and International Education sectors.

The submission brings together AFTA’s established and long-term policy positions as well as our recent positions on the key areas of:

Importance of outbound travel,
Taxation (PMC),
Requirements for additional skills funding,
Importance of ATAS,
Support of Smartraveller,
Passenger facilitation,
Airline carrier coordination,
Airport slot usage,
Importance of business travel,
Climate change.

Quotes attributable to AFTA CEO Dean Long
“The work of Australia’s travel agents, businesses and tour operators in facilitating the bookings of inbound and outbound travel, accommodation and related services which drive so much of the tourism industry in Australia deserves far more recognition.”

“Travel is a sector undergoing rapid change and our members are proud to be leading that transformation.”

“As the peak body for the broad array of Australian travel professionals, AFTA is uniquely placed to comment on the challenges and opportunities for growth in tourism. AFTA strives to promote competition across the entire tourism sector, alongside world-leading practices to ensure an efficient and positive traveller experience."

“This Parliamentary Inquiry is another important opportunity to build on Government’s previous commitments to expand the visitor economy, as exemplified through the THRIVE 2030 Strategy. We are proud to continue our work with Government in identifying the barriers to growth and helping to shape the future.”

MEDIA CONTACT: LJ Loch 0488 038 555 lj.loch@afta.com.au