The Australian Travel Industry Association’s (ATIA) newly formed Independent Travel Agents Association (ITAA) committee is off to a flying start, with the group already active on several fronts since its first meeting in June.
Representing independent travel agents from every corner of Australia, the committee used its inaugural meeting to discuss key issues facing the sector and set priorities for the next twelve months, with a focus on demystifying industry changes and supporting independent businesses.
Since then, ITAA has provided close to weekly feedback on ATIA’s surcharging webinar – which supported members ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s surcharge changes – as well as on ATIA’s advice for members regarding the recently announced Fiji Tourism Service Tax, helping ensure the association’s resources are member-driven and fit for immediate use.
The June meeting was led by committee chair Robyn Sinfield and 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 across the industry.
Sinfield said there had been strong feedback that smaller independent agencies could, at times, feel overlooked, and that ITAA had been established to address that. “There’s a great deal of enthusiasm, expertise and commitment across the ITAA committee,” she said. “We’ve all got very strong views on what our priorities should be as a committee moving forward. 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.”
Paez said being involved at this level was fantastic for representing independent travel agents. “I’m looking forward to using my role as vice chair to advocate for businesses,” he said.
Van Huisstede said she was proud to be appointed vice chair. “I’m passionate about small businesses, and the retail sector of travel – particularly independents – is an important part of our ecosystem,” she said. “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.”
