Agents have embraced ATAS

I AM really delighted to have been asked to continue to provide a monthly column as a contribution to the new travelbulletin, having been a part of the previous version of this publication for the past six years. It is a good thing for the travel industry that travelbulletin will continue to provide a balanced in-depth look at the issues that are in and around the travel industry. Congratulations to all involved in ensuring that the wonderful work of travelbulletin will continue. So, as the industry now reaches the end of the second month of the new regulatory environment for travel agents, I am very pleased to say that ATAS is going very well. We are approaching the 2000th accredited location across the country and continue to have robust and constant applications before us. The team has done an awesome job to get the applications processed in a timely fashion and we do thank the industry for their support and willingness to work with us during this change. Importantly, at the end of August, Consumer Affairs departments across the country will commence a media blitz to inform consumers of the change from a licensed travel agent to an accredited travel agent. Their message will be focused on the Australian Consumer Law and provide other messages to consumers to look out for when booking travel. Furthermore, it is very good news that the mainstream campaign will include a call to action for ATAS accredited agents – something that consumers will be informed by government to look out for. The new campaign centres around the slogan “pack a piece of mind” and will be funded by TCF reserves. The spread of the campaign is significant and across all areas of Australia which will touch as many parts of the community as possible. This is exactly what we were hoping for. To underpin this, the fact that ATAS will be included as a part of the messaging is very important. Educating consumers to fully understand the importance of industry-led professional standards in a de-regulated environment provides a level of comfort for them about who they are dealing with and why. ATAS accredited agents will progressively become the standard for the industry and it is very pleasing to see how quickly travel agents and suppliers are embracing the new arrangements. I am sure that as this campaign rolls out, the continued plans by ATAS to market the scheme will greatly support those travel agents who have joined the scheme. They will become part of the future story being told across Australia that an ATAS accredited travel agent is what the consumers needs when booking travel. So remember “pack a piece of mind” and become ATAS accredited today.