AFTA begs for help

AN ONGOING financial lifeline for Australia’s travel sector is now critical, according to AFTA Chairman Tom Manwaring, who today urged the Government to provide support in the coming months for the 3,000 travel agencies and 30,000 jobs left.

He noted that the industry had been in hard lockdown for 600 days now, with no relief in sight.

“A third of our sector, 15,000 jobs, have been wiped out.

“We need help and we need it until international travel normalises so we are here as employers and to support travelling Australians,” he said.

“It’s simply not the case that everything returns to normal when the international travel ban is lifted... there will be a lag before flight capacity lifts and prices normalise, and until then, we need support well into 2022.”