Since its official launch on 1 July 2024, the CATO Touring Academy for retail travel advisors has seen massive interest and uptake with more than 3,500 Australian and New Zealand agents already completing the upskilling course in all things touring.
The CATO Touring Academy has quickly established itself as an essential resource and professional development tool for travel advisors in the competitive touring market.
Advisors can purchase an annual CATO Touring Academy subscription for $99 for access to all content, news and product training from CATO member brands.
The course offers compulsory basic modules, 14 elective modules covering a variety of touring styles and more than 25 CATO member-led training sessions with 50-plus available by the end of the year.
This diverse curriculum ensures travel advisors have all the info and insights to sell and manage touring products to take advantage of the lucrative land-focused sector.
The Curated Traveller’s Rosemary Spiteri said she has learned more about touring through the CATO course than throughout her 27-plus years in travel.
Tewantin Travel’s Sky Gander agreed: “The course was very engaging with fantastic visual content and easy-to-navigate tutorials. I certainly gained more product knowledge, and, importantly, it cemented what to sell to whom, which I know will increase my overall conversion rate.”
Council of Australian Tour Operators Managing Director Brett Jardine said the CATO Touring Academy is a game-changer for the sector.
“The CATO Touring Academy has been a long time in the making and it’s great to see the high level of engagement from the trade in such a short space of time,” he said.
“This demonstrates an exciting trajectory for the growth in interest and demand for modern-day touring and the high value agents will gain when focusing on touring sales.”
Find out more at cato.travel/touring-academy-agents
