AFTA update

From AFTA’s chief executive, Jayson Westbury

AS THE news breaks regarding the ATAS People’s Choice state award winners, all of us at AFTA are really excited about how well this concept has gone this year. Over 8,000 votes were cast by consumers during the ATAS People’s Choice Retail Agent of the Year award process which ran in the International Traveller magazine. Of course the number of votes is just the peak of the story as this is the number of consumers that actually did something. Those who read the story and connected with ATAS is not fully known, but clearly it is a number far greater than the 8,000.

To the finalists, a very big congratulation. The state winners include: NSW - Chris Watson Travel Tamworth; ACT - Weston Cruise & Travel; SA/ NT - Kingscote Travel; Tas - Home Travel Company; Vic - Destination HQ, Beaumaris; WA - Bicton Travel & Qld - New Farm Travel. All outstanding ATAS accredited travel agents, and of course one will be crowned the national winner at the NTIA event on 22 Jul at the ICC Sydney.

The ATAS People’s Choice award process has been given significant support by Quentin Long, the publisher of International Traveller magazine and a very big thank you goes out to him for this tremendous support of ATAS and bricks-&-mortar travel agents.

On top of this support comes the spectacular sponsorship provided by APT. The river cruise that they have included for the consumers to go into the draw to win is significant and no doubt this has helped motivate consumers to take notice and vote, but also has demonstrated genuine support for frontline travel agents. APT will be on site at the NTIA in a week or so to hand the gong to the national winner in the ATAS People’s Choice award and no doubt this will result in a big celebration of our true backbone of the travel agency community and members of AFTA - retail bricks & mortar travel agents.