AFTA UPDATE

from the Australian Federation of Travel Agents

AFTA has been focused on making sure that those in positions of power in Federal Government understand the reality of the financial landscape that AFTA members (travel agents, tour operators and travel wholesalers) now find themselves in and why there is a powerful case for on-going support for our sector.

We kick-started our grassroots campaign with the rollout of electorate visits, bringing travel agents together with their local MP in a strategic, coordinated, and non-partisan way.

These visits reinforced our direct advocacy at a Federal level which included AFTA Chair, Tom Manwaring, and AFTA CEO Darren Rudd, appearing before the Senate Select Committee into COVID-19, our ongoing direct lobbying of key political decision makers and continued advocacy to build awareness and support in Canberra. As a result of the nine electorate visits done to date, we are pleased to report that the plight of travel agents, tour operators and travel wholesalers and the need for tailored support, continues to result in Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum taking up our cause. On Fri 28 Aug we lodged our Pre-Budget Submission which you can access HERE.

This submission sets out a compelling case for the Federal Government to provide a Travel Agent Support Package of $125 million as well as a range of additional business measures.

AFTA is also pleased to share that on Wednesday last week we launch our National Mobilisation Program which is all about harnessing the power of our AFTA members. The Program asks for member support in contacting and arranging a meeting their local Federal MP to continue to build the momentum and make sure every single Federal Member of Parliament knows about the plight of travel agents, tour operators and travel wholesalers. To make the process as easy as possible for members, and to ensure maximum impact through aligned messaging, we have developed a mobilisation toolkit can be access HERE.

To learn more about the toolkit and how you can help, we are inviting members to join a special National Mobilisation Program webinar on Wed 09 Sep HERE.

We’d like to thank everyone for their support.

Your voice matters.