Matt Thistlewaite MP and Australian Federation of Travel Agents CEO Darren Rudd visited our office recently to meet with Managing Director, Barbara Whitten and Nik Young, General Manager, to discuss how border shutdowns and travel bans are impacting travel businesses around Australia. The Anywhere Travel team are part of a close knit local community with decades of invaluable industry skills and experience. We encourage you to support your local travel agent and encourage your local MP to push for tailored government support for our local Australian travel industry.
Barbara Whitten, Managing Director of Anywhere Travel in Kingsford, agrees tailored Government support is critical for travel agents.
“We have fixed costs to meet, but ongoing border closures mean we have nothing to sell, which is a difficult position to be in as a travel retailer,” says Barbara.
“Unless there’s a clear plan around borders reopening people won’t travel. There’s also the issue of our staff, from the veterans of 10 and 20 years to young people just starting travel careers with us.”
“We want our local staff because we’re a close knit community, and the JobKeeper extension is of course welcome, but if travel agents don’t receive some tailored support from Government many will look elsewhere for employment or retire.”
“We could lose decades worth of industry skills and experience.”
