CATO to host crisis forum

THE Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has confirmed it will hold a Crisis Management Forum early next year, with the one-day event aiming to help the industry minimise the potential impact of catastrophic incidents.

Participants will include the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade along with a range of other industry experts, with tickets now available for the 21 Feb forum.

That was just one of a host of initiatives detailed yesterday at a CATO festive season lunch in Sydney, where the reinvigorated organisation celebrated a year of strong growth.

New members this year welcomed by MD Brett Jardine included Crooked Compass, Amtrak Vacations/Yankee Leisure Group, Scott McGregor Railway Adventures, Discover the World and Helloworld Wholesale.

A number of associate members have also added their support including the Seychelles Tourism Board, TripFuser, Sri Lanka Tourism, notably alongside some airlines including Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

CATO Chairman Dennis Bunnik noted that four years ago the organisation was at a crossroads, but since then it had managed to engage the industry and add significant value.

CATO is planning to launch a new digital magazine called “Ground Control” focusing on the land sector, while another major project in the works will for the first time aim to provide top-line quarterly data for the industry cross-referenced with Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.

The event was sponsored by SQ and Fairfax, with the media firm’s Head of Travel Philippa Walker noting it would be the last time she appeared under that brand, with the business to be known as Nine Publishing from next Mon.