A new committee representing independent travel agents across Australia has set about its task of championing advisors.
The Independent Travel Agents Association (ITAA) committee has discussed key issues facing independent travel agents and decided on their priorities for the next 12 months, with a focus on demystifying industry changes and providing support for businesses.
Since their first meeting in June, ITAA has been instrumental in providing close to weekly feedback on the Australian Travel Industry Association’s surcharging webinar, which supported members in the lead-up to the RBA surcharge changes.
The committee also had input on ATIA’s advice for members on the recently announced Fiji Tourism Service Tax, ensuring ATIA’s resources are member-driven and fit for immediate use.
“There’s been very strong feedback that smaller independent agencies can, at times, feel overlooked,” said Robyn Sinfield, ITAA Chair.
“ITAA has been established to address that and there’s a great deal of enthusiasm, expertise and commitment across the ITAA committee.”
The first ITAA meeting was led by Ms Sinfield, as well as Vice Chairs Mario Paez and Julia van Huisstede, alongside committee members Brian Conway, Felicity Dascomb, Peta Godfrey, Emma Whiting, Sonia Jones, Paul Pearman, Sandy Chen, Mandi Forrester-Jones and Nicole King.
In the coming months the committee will continue advocating on behalf of independent agents and work alongside ATIA to improve resources and advocacy on behalf of travel agents across the industry.
“We’ve all got very strong views on what our priorities should be as a committee moving forward,” added Ms Sinfield.
“ITAA is such a fantastic resource for independent members of ATIA and we’re determined to make the most of the strong platform ITAA provides in terms of collaboration, representation and meaningful industry dialogue to advance and support independent members.”
“I’m passionate about small businesses and the retail sector of travel, particularly independents, is an important part of our ecosystem,” said Julia van Huisstede, Vice Chair.
“We need to nurture that and bring people together to share ideas to pass on to other businesses. We don’t all have the footprint of the larger agencies, so coming together is important and ITAA is essential for representing independent agents.”
Main image: ITAA meeting attendees in Sydney. From left to right: Dean Long, Brian Conway, Sonia Jones, Mandi Forrester-Jones, Mario Paez, Nina Hedges, Julia van Huisstede.
