Australian travel professionals are being called on to provide the critical evidence needed to drive national policy.
The call comes as the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) launches its third annual Skills & Workforce Survey.
This survey is a fundamental pillar of ATIA’s broader advocacy strategy, designed to ensure the Australian travel industry is supported through targeted skills, training and migration policy settings.
Now in its third year, the survey is building an invaluable longitudinal dataset that tracks recruitment pressures, workforce shortages and capability gaps across the sector.
“This survey is one of the most powerful tools we have in advocating for travel businesses,” said Ingrid Fraser, ATIA Director of Public Policy and Advocacy.
“The results mean that when we engage with Government, we’re not presenting opinion, we’re presenting real data from real businesses and that credibility delivers practical outcomes.”
By collecting consistent data year-on-year, ATIA is strengthening its ability to demonstrate measurable trends to Government and industry stakeholders, ensuring the travel industry’s unique workforce challenges are properly recognised and addressed.
Insights from previous surveys have already directly informed ATIA’s successful advocacy on skills funding, training initiatives and migration settings.
Among the workforce initiatives the data has driven is The Travel Gap, a structured 29+ week program to show school leavers that travel is a high-growth, high-adventure career.
“The stronger the participation, the stronger our voice and the greater our influence on the policy decisions shaping our industry’s future,” added Ms Fraser.
# Meanwhile ATIA has intensified its fight to permanently protect the right of travel agents, tour operators and other accredited travel businesses to sell travel insurance at the time of booking.
Secured by ATIA in 2021, the exemption allows travel businesses to offer travel insurance alongside travel arrangements. It is due to expire in October.
ATIA has now formally called on Treasury to make the exemption permanent, warning that any rollback would harm travellers and undermine small and medium-sized travel businesses across Australia.
Most Australians already buy travel insurance when they book their trip. ATIA says that breaking that link will weaken it.
The consequences would be significant:
- More Australians exposed to major medical and cancellation costs
- More families facing avoidable financial hardship overseas
- Increased pressure on government consular services
- Reduced certainty for travel businesses
“This is about protecting the right of accredited Australian travel businesses to provide a complete service to their clients,” said Dean Long, ATIA CEO.
“Travel insurance at the time of booking is common sense. It protects travellers and it supports small business.
“If this exemption is allowed to lapse, more Australians will travel uninsured. That is the real-world consequence.”
