A big year calls for a big celebration, and as 2024 draws to an end, the CATO Christmas Lunch provided just that. Marking its 25th anniversary in 2024, the Council of Australian Tour Operators had plenty to celebrate this year.
Speaking at what is now an annual fixture in the travel industry calendar, CATO Managing Director Brett Jardine said the council reached a record level of membership in 2024 and reported its largest-ever surplus, while CATO accreditation had been enhanced with a new, independent financial assessment process.
He also highlighted CATO’s role in delivering the federal government’s RITG grant program, which provided significant financial support to tour operators and wholesalers.
The organisation also participated in multiple member networking events and affiliations throughout the year, highlighted by Karryon’s inaugural Niche is Nice road show and the Travel Agent Day Australia (TADA) event.
Among other notable dates in the calendar was the council’s International Women’s Day luncheon in Brisbane, which attracted more than 200 attendees. Next year’s IWD event will be held in Melbourne in March, and tickets are available now.
Most of all, Jardine flagged the success of CATO’s new Touring Academy, which launched earlier this year.
The new travel advisor training program has certified over 300 agents and achieved more than 5,400 course completions to date. Its aim is to equip advisors with the knowledge they need to boost touring sector sales.
According to the CATO boss, outbound leisure travel continued its strong recovery in 2024.
“In May, we re-launched the “Australians Abroad” annual report that showed outbound leisure travel was well on the road to recovery, with 2023 travel just 12 per cent down on record 2019 levels,” he remarked.
“And our tracking of 2024 data shows that outbound travel – that’s leisure travel – is sitting at 23 per cent up on 2023 numbers for the nine months to 30 September.
“So this is obviously a very strong indication that 2024 will surpass record pre-COVID levels of 2019 – and I’m sure that every one of you in the room is seeing that yourself in your own business.”
Christmas comes early
Held at Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park on Thursday, the CATO Christmas Lunch was the biggest in the event’s history, with 423 guests confirmed in attendance.
And it started with a literal bang, with a troupe of Japanese “taiko” drummers (including Karryon’s own Sally Miles) welcoming guests, courtesy of gold sponsor Tokyo Tourism.
But that was just the start of the festivities. There was also the always-fun 360 video booth, more live music, a rocking after-party, and a wealth of giveaways, including TravelPay and Mastercard cash prizes, a four-night Viking Nile River Cruise, and the major prize of a trip for two to Manila, which included return business class tickets with Philippine Airlines and two nights at The Peninsula Manila hotel.
Other partners included platinum sponsor TravelPay, silver sponsor Lockton Pulse, and supporting sponsors G Adventures and Stuba, among others.
Skroo speaks
One of the highlights of the event was a fireside chat with travel industry legend and Flight Centre Travel Group CEO Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, who shared his insights about founding Topdeck Travel and his early days as a tour operator.
Of his less colourful anecdotes, but indeed among the most important, Skroo told guests how the touring sector had become more sophisticated and competitive. He also emphasised the importance of collaboration across the travel industry.
CATO’s Christmas Lunch was precisely that.
For more information on CATO, visit www.cato.travel.
All images by Mark Harada / Karryon.
