The Travel Industry Hub’s Richard Taylor has joined the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) in a newly created role as Director of Membership Experience.
As the association continues to rebuild post-pandemic, AFTA said in announcing the news that it wants to make sure that it is as “relevant as possible to the needs of the wider travel sector.”
As such, the member-first approach will see Taylor join the AFTA team initially in a part-time capacity as the association continues to improve its member offering and deliver for all members, from independent to listed.
Taylor will have responsibility for introducing new programs which address the challenges in a post-COVID world as well as new networking opportunities.
AFTA CEO Dean Long said of Richard Taylor’s appointment, “Richard has been a tireless champion of the Travel Sector throughout COVID, and his ability to bring people together and build communities is remarkable. He’s always been frank in sharing his insights and feedback on what AFTA has done well and, just as importantly, what we can do better.”
“Last year, we conducted a comprehensive review of what AFTA achieved through COVID and what it needs to be in the future to continue to be the peak body for the Australian Travel Sector. Central to this review was ensuring the AFTA team had the right individuals that the industry respected and importantly enjoys working with.”
“As members will see, we have some fantastic new initiatives to further embrace all of our ATAS businesses and their employees. I am really pleased that Richard has accepted this role as we continue to rebuild AFTA into a member focused organisation.”
Adding his comments, Richard Taylor said of his appointment, “I am passionate about the future of our industry and the opportunity to join AFTA and shape the future of our industry body is too good to pass up. I will continue to do what I love which is talking to agents and all the other wonderful people who make up the travel ecosystem as I work with Dean and the team on AFTA’s evolution, growth and future success.”
With a 66-year legacy, AFTA has taken several measures to ensure it is a “fit for purpose” organisation, necessitated by the transformation of the travel landscape and the natural evolution of AFTA as a Travel industry body. This includes the considerable work involved in updating the Constitution and membership framework.
Read: Agents’ workload is unsustainable, AFTA taskforce tells Federal Minister
For more, head to www.afta.com.au
