The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has held crisis planning talks with its members to support their short and long term needs in the current extraordinary situation following the outbreak of COVID-19.
“Our sector will be the key to recovery,” said CATO MD, Brett Jardine. “We need to take a unified approach and work together to ensure the survival of our industry so we are ready to help travellers with their plans when the timing is right.
“We are at a critical juncture. Working together with our members and other like-minded organisations, we need to enact smart decision-making to ensure that the travel industry survives this immediate crisis. We also need to start planning for the rebound which will undoubtedly happen to make sure we are ready to help our clients reboot their holiday plans and reignite the outbound travel sector.”
A three-point action plan resulted from the meeting:
1. Members agreed that the first and most immediate priority was to share information and develop collaborative solutions to assist with the immediate repatriation to Australia of their clients currently travelling overseas regardless of which company they had booked with. “Travellers book with Australian tour operators so they have the peace of mind advantage of end to end support with their holiday plans. More than ever, we are mindful of delivering on that promise to our clients,” said Jardine.
2. Members heard from an expert advisory team including insurance and legal specialists who were brought in to provide recommendations on how to best support travellers and ensure they could enjoy their holidays at a future time. CATO reinforced the position outlined earlier this week that the provision of credits to travellers is preferred where possible. It was agreed that this approach would deliver the best outcomes for travellers, and may also help to protect the financial health of tour operators and wholesalers which in turn will assist their staff, their travel agent partners and also suppliers such as airlines and hotels.
3. CATO will continue to work with other industry associations and government organisations to ensure the best possible outcomes for the sector.
IMAGE: CATO MD, Brett Jardine< ./em>
