The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has advised agents that it is now moving into the next phase of its lobbying campaign for the extension of JobKeeper for eligible businesses in the travel sector and wider sector-specific support plus action on chargebacks.
The ‘making it real’ phase sees a range of AFTA members share their experiences, of the impact of COVID on their businesses and livelihoods, directly with key political and departmental decision makers, as well as through local and mainstream media.
“Out of necessity AFTA’s initial focus was on pulling together a compelling economic case supported by modelling that underpinned our lobbying of key decision makers at all levels of Government so that they understood the unique position travel agents are in and acted to support the sector,” said AFTA Chair, Tom Manwaring.
“Our ‘making it real’ campaign is the next step in our strategic approach to highlighting the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on agents, their teams, businesses and families. We are very grateful to the agents involved for their time and for sharing their stories so powerfully.
“The stark reality is that without JobKeeper, many travel agencies will be forced to let go the majority of their staff given the time lag in receiving payments from suppliers. AFTA also continues to lobby hard on a range of other critical issues including chargebacks and the importance of Australians supporting Australian travel agents in booking all their travel needs.”
On Tuesday, Federal Tourism Minister, Simon Birmingham, reinforced the messaging that international travel would be unlikely to return until 2021, and called on Australians ‘to feel an almost patriotic duty’ to support the jobs and small businesses of their fellow citizens by having an Aussie holiday.
AFTA says it is ensuring agents are top of mind for consumer travel plans – “…we want them to feel an almost patriotic duty to also support their local travel agent!”
AFTA’s ‘making it real’ phase profiles individual member experiences to highlight:
- The lifeline role of JobKeeper for Australia’s 3,000 travel agents and 40,000 employees across every regional city and most regional towns;
- The reality that with all agents experiencing a 90 – 100% revenue decline, many employees will lose their jobs if JobKeeper isn’t extended and some will shut;
- The fact that even as domestic restrictions lift, travel agents are in a unique position with a time lag in payment from suppliers until travel takes place;
- The economic value in using Australian experts to book Australian travel;
- The need for action on chargebacks and recognition of the unique nature of payments in the travel ecosystem;
- The impact of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of agents.
