The importance of knowing your legal risk – Agents gather in Sydney for Travel Weekly’s first Hot Topic event

Travel agents gathered in Sydney last night for Travel Weekly’s first Hot Topic event – a free event for agents to find out more about the big issues impacting them. 

Last night’s theme was ‘Riding the Economic Rollercoaster’. The stellar panel included ATIA CEO Dean Long, Owner at The Cruise and Travel Store Belle Goldie, and Australia’s top travel lawyer and CATO Board member Aaron Zoanetti.  It was hosted by Travel Weekly deputy editor Sofia Geraghty and hosted at The Room Residence in Sydney.

The panel was run under the Chatham House rule; however, some of the key discussion points that come up included:

• Whether travel to the US is really difficult or if this has been hyped up by the media. As a travel industry should we be supporting people in travelling to the US rather than discouraging it?
• A legal deep dive into the role of the travel agent and the risks they can be exposed to if they act as a principal or package their own deals
• The importance of maintaining trust in the industry and staying calm under pressure so as not to scare customers
• Whether the agent is acting on behalf of the customer or the tour operator

If you have any ideas for future Hot Topics and themes you would like to see spoken about please contact sofia@travelweekly.com.au.

To find out more about the different legal roles and responsibilities of agents vs principals, you can access the CATO Touring Academy, which includes a module on the roles and responsibilities of agents vs operators. The course has been vetted and approved by Aaron Zoanetti, who was on the panel and is accessible here.