Karryon and Australian travel industry leaders have teamed up to launch Save The Travel Industry – a national campaign that aims to pressure the Australian government to extend support to the tourism industry after JobKeeper ends on 28 March.
What started as a simple ‘Save the travel industry’ Facebook frame created last week, subsequently went viral and has now turned into a full-blown national campaign, brought to life with the support of passionate Australian industry advocates volunteering their time.
I’m so proud to announce that the ‘Save the travel industry’ campaign officially kicks off today and will run through to the end of March – or hopefully before that when our mission is complete.
The grass-roots campaign has been created to support the ongoing tireless efforts of individuals and industry bodies already lobbying the Federal Government to extend a rescue package to the industry from 29 March 2021 to 2022.
At the time writing, the campaign Facebook frame has now had over 6,000 downloads, reaching and influencing a potential audience of 3 million people. That’s a remarkable start and yet another stellar example of the passionate people our industry is made up of.
Dennis Bunnik, a key supporter of the campaign, CATO (Council of Australian Tour Operators) Chair and Bunnik Tours Joint-CEO, reiterated how important the campaign is to highlight the plight of the travel industry due to COVID border closures and the dire consequences for jobs if Jobkeeper support ends as planned in March.
“Our tourism industry has been crippled by the closure of international borders with many thousands of jobs lost already. The jobs that remain are hanging on by a thread and that thread is Jobkeeper. The planned end of Jobkeeper in March will have a catastrophic impact on jobs and businesses in the travel industry,
“Our fear is the total collapse of the industry which will not only be devastating for those working in travel but will have a serious impact on Australian’s ability to travel and explore the world safely once this crisis is over,” said Dennis, CATO Chair.
The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) have also thrown their weight behind the campaign with CEO Darren Rudd saying:
“We must continue to work together to make sure Government at all levels understands that until international travel happens, we need ongoing tailored support. The #SaveTheTravelIndustry campaign is another welcome activation in pushing for that support and complements AFTA’s ongoing work in raising political awareness within an appreciative framework of our sector’s desperate need for support including through the extension of a version of JobKeeper for our sector and finessing of the $128m Grants Support Program.”
Darren Rudd, AFTA CEO
“The Government’s focus on supporting domestic tourism is great but it’s more a confidence boost for consumers in getting them to travel within Australia rather than having any meaningful financial or revenue benefits for our travel agents, travel wholesalers and tour operators who rely on Australians travelling overseas.” Said Darren.
How can you help?
You can support the cause by; downloading the online campaign toolkit, sharing the #SaveTheTravelIndustry creative assets on social media and your own marketing channels, whether that be through your website, EDMs or physical ads in store fronts and by spreading the word about the campaign.
You can also sign and share the change.org petition.
Since going live last night, the petition has already notched up a whopping 5,000 signatures.
After a year of so much heartbreak and loss for the industry, I feel it’s only fair that we get the help we need to see us through to the other side and be able to do what we love again. Which is to enable people to connect with loved ones and the world via travel.
It’s my hope that this campaign can play its part in creating the additional noise needed to get the outcome and support our industry deserves.
Please do what you can to help your peers by boosting the campaign because every action, no matter how small it may seem, will collectively add up to a far greater groundswell.
Thanks so much for your support.
Got an idea or feedback to share? Please email me at matt@karryon.com.au
#SaveTheTravelIndustry