The Aussie travel industry is getting a serious shake-up after the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) unveiled a raft of initiatives aimed at transforming the sector.
The new initiatives, announced today at the inaugural Beyond Borders Summit in Sydney, are designed to drive long-term growth and innovation within the industry while keeping sustainability in mind.
The measures were introduced as part of a new multi-year strategy called Project A30. Simply put, A30 is a blueprint for the travel sector moving forward – or, as ATIA boldly puts it, a comprehensive reset for the association and the travel industry.
So, how does ATIA plan to do this? With a five-pronged approach, for starters. These key initiatives include:
From ATAS to ATIA
The association is streamlining its brand identity by retiring the ATAS moniker. So “ATIA accredited” will replace “ATAS accredited”.
This change aims to simplify the organisation’s identity, making it easier for consumers to recognise and trust a single brand.
The move also strengthens the relationship between suppliers, agencies and consumers across the travel supply chain.
Speaking to Karryon, ATIA CEO Dean Long says it simply “doesn’t make any sense” to have two brands moving forward.
“Why are we talking to the government as ATIA and then trying to drive a consumer brand called ATAS?” he states.
Safeguarding the industry
With the aim of further supporting both members and travellers, ATIA is developing new protection measures for suppliers and agencies.
The measures are designed to reduce risk, and enhance accountability and confidence within the sector. A full proposal will be rolled out in 2025, allowing for industry-wide consultation and collaboration.
“Over the next 12 months, we’re going to have an open and competitive process to build a compensation scheme that protects the consumers and businesses that are ATIA-accredited,” Long says.
“So we’re not going to try and go wider and make it for airlines and do other things.”
The ATIA boss tells Karryon these two initiatives are “probably the two lead ones”. But of course there’s more.
Investing in tomorrow’s travel professionals
In response to a widely recognised skill shortage within the sector, ATIA is introducing programs aimed at attracting new talent to the travel industry.
These include a ‘Gap Year Program’ for school leavers and the ‘Travel Career Kickstart Training Program’ to provide new employees with the essential skills they need. These initiatives will help address workforce gaps and encourage the next generation of travel professionals.
Long says the initiative is more than just about spending a year in a travel job.
“A number of businesses…have already committed a number of positions to bring people in for that gap year and to get them engaged and interested,” he states.
“You’ll have an environment where you’ll be working, but there’ll also be some of the fun elements. So you might get to go on a domestic famil and do some of those things.”
Longs adds that the Travel Career Kickstart will be a 10-day short course “to give them the base skills to come in and actually hit the ground running in that gap year”.
“So it’s not going to replace any of the other things that are going on.”
Tackling modern slavery efficiently
ATIA is tackling the issue of modern slavery by developing a streamlined compliance solution that integrates with its accreditation processes.
This initiative aims to reduce the burden on businesses while addressing this critical issue more effectively.
According to ATIA, it has increasingly become a requirement of financial reporting for businesses to be able to demonstrate that they have full visibility of their supply chain, including, regarding modern slavery. This five-year plan ultimately aims to make it easier for those businesses to do this.
Data-driven decisions
ATIA has also introduced a data tool called Enterprise Benchmarking Reports. This series of data insights offers members tailored performance comparisons against travel industry peers.
By leveraging ATAS and economic data, these reports will aim to help businesses stay informed about market trends and make data-driven decisions. This new tool complements ATIA’s monthly Travel Trends Reports.
“Each ATIA member will now have access to a data Insights report that we’ll release later this year, which will give them peer set analysis on their performance for the previous 12 months, so you’ll know where you are in your own segment,” Long tells Karryon.
“So we’ll be comparing tour operators to tour operators, agents to agents, DMCs to DMCs, wholesalers to wholesalers. And you’ll get a full breakdown… what your net profit is, what your gross profit is, what your expenses are, and cross-staffing marketing.”
A three-year journey
ATIA Chair Christian Hunter said the initiatives are “the result of three years of diligent work by the ATIA board and executive team and mark the start of a key realignment of this organisation”. Not to mention the travel sector, more broadly.
“The board has focused on steering ATIA towards a future where we can better respond to the changing landscape of the travel industry with agility and foresight,” he remarked.
“The shift to a single brand reflects our strategy to build a unified and trusted travel ecosystem. This move will ensure greater engagement with consumers while simplifying the way we represent our members across the supply chain.
“The introduction of industry-led protections is a crucial part of our long-term vision to reduce risk for our members and enhance consumer confidence.
“This initiative is designed to protect both businesses and travellers without adding unnecessary regulatory burdens, demonstrating our commitment to proportionate, effective solutions that benefit the entire sector.”
On the recruitment drive, Hunter said ATIA’s focus on workforce development “is about ensuring the future sustainability of our industry”.
“Attracting new talent through programs like the Gap Year initiative and the Travel Career Kickstart Training Program is key to addressing the skill shortages we face,” he stated.
“These programs represent a long-term strategy to position travel as an attractive and viable career path for the next generation.”
The Beyond Borders Summit precedes a massive weekend for ATIA and the travel industry, with the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) gala taking place on Saturday evening. Before then, the official NTIA Finalists Party will kick off proceedings on Friday night, followed by Karryon’s own Glam Club event just prior to the awards night.
