The forums comprise part of the ATCC’s comprehensive review of the National Certificate III in Travel qualification.
The current consultation phase builds on five intensive TST preparatory meetings conducted during the final four months of 2025, which engaged more than 60 representatives from across the travel and tourism sector.
This groundwork has ensured the 2026 forums are tightly focused on aligning the qualification with contemporary industry practice and future workforce needs.
Held on February 18 in a hybrid format (online and in person), this latest forum examined the competency units relating to Selling Tourism Products or Services, Preparing Customer Quotations, Booking Tourism Products and Processing Documentation.
The session brought together just under 30 TST participants from four states.
Participants identified the growing influence of automation on traditional workflows.
While acknowledging the significant structural transformation underway, the forum supported retaining selected manual procedures where they underpin essential conceptual understanding, with these to be integrated alongside automated enhancements.
Given the substantial overlap between units SITTTVL005 and SITTTVL006, participants also proposed exploring the consolidation of Preparing Customer Quotations, Booking Tourism Products and Processing Documentation.
This approach may create scope for the introduction of an additional elective unit, potentially focused on emerging technology capabilities.
The forum was again chaired by ATCC Chief Executive Officer Rick Myatt and facilitated by Kellie Stanbury, National Operations Manager at Corporate Travel Management (CTM). Discussions were robust and forward focused, covering:
- the appropriate level of understanding required of entry-level travel advisors regarding supplier contractual arrangements.
- the importance of building rapport with prospective clients prior to assessing buying signals.
- the value of exposing students to contemporary back-office systems, even where these are not available within training environments.
- the operational and customer consequences of inaccurately prepared quotations or bookings
Three further TST industry consultation forums – covering the remaining Certificate III in Travel competency units – are scheduled for March 11, April 1 and April 22.
