All Travellers Choice members will have their ATAS accreditation fully funded by the retail travel group, in a bid to “promote and protect” the brand.
All agents will be required to meet the criteria of the scheme which took effect on July 1.
The move represents a “new benchmark” in agent support, says the group which already funds full Australian Federation of Travel Agents membership for all of its agents.
According to chief executive Christian Hunter, the Travellers Choice board considers ATAS accreditation an “essential requirement”.
"ATAS accreditation is designed to offer travellers peace-of-mind by endorsing the quality and reliability of participating travel agents," he said.
"With the demise of state-based licensing it is now the most important test of business credibility an Australian travel agent can undertake.
"As such, we believe it is vital that whenever consumers engage with Travellers Choice – whether it is through our independent agents or our national advertising activities – they do so in the knowledge that every member of our group is qualified under the scheme."
AFTA chief executive Jayson Westbury welcomed the decision as “a very positive move”.
“All Travellers Choice members will now benefit from the ongoing national campaign that recognises ATAS accredited agents in a de-regulated industry environment,” he said.
Travellers Choice members were informed of the development during a series of meetings held in state capitals over the past week.
