The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has issued a fresh reminder for travellers to book only with ATIA-accredited agents after a former Sydney travel agent admitted to multiple fraud charges.
Travel World Sydney Director Zahra Rachid has admitted to eight offences of fraudulently obtaining more than $77,000.
The offences involved customers who booked holidays between 2023 and 2024.
“There’s no place in our industry for fraud or criminal behaviour,” ATIA CEO Dean Long said.
“No one like this is welcome in our industry. We hope the penalty reflects the seriousness of the offences and that the book is thrown at this individual.”
According to ATIA, Travel World Sydney lost its accreditation back in 2019 after failing to meet renewal and financial reporting requirements.
“This case serves as a reminder of why travellers should always look for the ATIA Accredited symbol when booking their travel,” Long added.
“Accreditation demonstrates that a business meets strict financial, ethical and professional standards and is subject to ongoing oversight. It’s about trust, transparency and accountability, the core elements consumers deserve.
“The overwhelming majority of Australian travel businesses operate with integrity, and ATIA Accreditation helps ensure those high standards are maintained and makes it really easy for consumers to know who to book their travel through.
“Anyone who is not accredited is making it difficult for consumers to find businesses they can trust, which is why we encourage all travel businesses to take immediate steps to become accredited.”
The association says its accreditation program remains the benchmark for consumer protection, with 16 per cent of applications rejected annually to maintain industry integrity.
Earlier this year, ATIA issued a similar reminder to consumers after Aussie online travel agency Traveldream collapsed, ironically taking away the travel dreams of dozens of Aussie clients, many of whom were left thousands of dollars out of pocket.
For the latest list of accredited travel businesses, visit atas.com.au.
Images Mark Harada
