Accredited ATIA members will benefit from wider recognition of industry qualifications and more proportionate insurance requirements following reforms under the 2025 ATAS Charter Review, now in effect.
The requirement for 50 per cent of consumer-facing staff to hold a Certificate III in travel has been a fixture of accreditation for years. That rule is now gone.
Under reforms flowing from the 2025 ATAS Charter Review, ATIA has replaced the Certificate III mandate with a broader Recognised Industry Training framework.
The 50 per cent threshold remains, but the pool of what counts has widened considerably: recognised qualifications and certifications approved by the Compliance Manager now qualify, and prior learning, including at least 2 years of frontline travel-selling experience, is eligible for consideration.
Insurance settings have also been refined. Public Liability Insurance is no longer mandatory for businesses operating exclusively in a non-in-person capacity, and tour operators are no longer required to hold separate Professional Indemnity Insurance where their Public Liability policy already includes Errors and Omissions cover.
What’s actually changed on training?
The practical effect is recruitment flexibility. Businesses can now draw on a wider range of qualifications and certifications beyond the Certificate III, and experienced professionals without formal qualifications can have their frontline experience recognised.
For an industry that has been struggling to fill roles, with ATIA’s own data showing two in three businesses unable to hire enough staff, the timing matters.
“The travel industry has evolved rapidly over the past decade,” AAC Chair David Walker said. “Our accreditation must evolve with it, recognising real skills, real experience and real business models.”
ATIA has issued a Memorandum to Industry outlining which qualifications and certifications are accepted under the new framework.
ATIA CEO Dean Long framed the changes as a recognition of how the workforce actually operates.
“By broadening recognised qualifications, we’re saying clearly: experience counts, specialist skills count, and the industry’s diversity counts,” Long said.
The reforms sit alongside ATIA’s broader workforce pipeline initiatives, including The Travel Gap program for school leavers and a national review of Certificate III travel qualifications through SaCSA.
Smarter insurance, not less insurance
The insurance changes are targeted rather than sweeping. ATIA says both Public Liability and Professional Indemnity are still encouraged for all businesses, but the mandatory requirements now reflect how a business actually operates.
A travel advisory that works entirely online, for instance, no longer needs to carry Public Liability Insurance designed for in-person interactions. Tour operators whose Public Liability already covers Errors and Omissions won’t be required to pay for a separate Professional Indemnity policy that duplicates that cover.
“This is a significant step forward for our members,” Walker said. “We’ve modernised the settings without lowering the bar and that’s the balance that matters.”
ATIA Vice Chair and Tour Operator representative Toni Ambler said the changes demonstrate a commitment to ensuring accreditation works across business types.
“This also demonstrates our commitment to ensuring ATIA accreditation is fit for purpose for all ATIA members,” Ambler said.
What’s driving the overhaul?
The reforms follow an independent review of the ATAS Charter and Code of Conduct, during which the ATIA Board accepted the majority of recommendations. The Board’s full response is publicly available.
The recently refreshed Accreditation Advisory Committee oversaw the changes, which ATIA says are designed to reduce compliance friction without weakening consumer protections.
“ATIA Accredited isn’t standing still,” Long said. “We are continuously investing in it, strengthening it and ensuring it delivers real commercial value for members while giving travellers absolute confidence.”
KARRYON UNPACKS: For advisors, the headline change is practical: if you’ve got experienced staff who’ve been selling travel for years but don’t hold a Cert III, they can now count toward your accreditation requirements. On insurance, check whether your current policies overlap before your next renewal. The changes are designed to cut duplication, not coverage, so the savings are there if you look for them.
