Great flexibility with ASP

With the launch of a revamped version of its Aussie Specialist Programme (ASP) in India, Tourism Australia wants to offer the travel agents greater flexibility.

After conducting an extensive review with travel agents, Tourism Australia has decided that its destination training programme—Aussie Specialist Programme (ASP)–needs to be revamped so as to equip the agents with enhanced knowledge, better understanding with real-time information and latest happenings in the Australian tourism industry.

As a result, the Aussie Specialist website has been revamped to allow its trade partners the flexibility to browse the site across all tablets and mobile devices. The new version consists of interactive training modules, itinerary suggestions, factsheets, latest industry news updates, destination FAQs and an interactive map.

Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager (India & Gulf), Tourism Australia, claims, “The interface of the revamped module is user- friendly, interactive and engaging to make it appealing and convenient for our travel partners to use. Currently, we have close to 2,100 Aussie Specialists in India and we expect the figure to cross 3,000 by June 2016.”

Explaining how the new version of ASP is different, he says, “The new programme is divided into three mandatory modules– an introduction to Australia, one covering all states and territories and one on building itineraries, plus two optional modules that are

This, he said, was done to cater to the evolving needs of the Indian traveller and to suggest itineraries to suit their requirements. The new programme will allow the agents to effectively promote and sell Australia to discerning and demanding Indians who now prefer to take multiple vacations in a year as against annual vacations. “With an aim to further engage with our trade partners and familiarize them with the latest version of the program, the Aussie Specialist trainers will provide face- to- face training in key markets of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad for frontline travel sellers,” Kashikar reveals, adding that Australia has witnessed record arrivals from India this year.