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AFTA is throwing its support behind a social media iniative by Travel Agent and AFTA Member Linda Forster, TravLin Travel, to encourage more Australians to get vaccinated more quickly.Ms Forster contacted AFTA following Tuesday’s Member Update Webinar offering to lead the co-ordination of a call-out to travel agents and businesses getting vax ready to be travel ready. Last year Ms Forster had created a video around the impact of COVID on travel agents which went viral[1].

AFTA has also been including the need for vaccination rates to increase in its media releases, interviews and government lobbying over the past several months using #GetTravelReady #BeTravelReady. Parallel to this have been ongoing conversations with a major media partner around wider collaboration to increase the impact of the call. AFTA is also hoping to partner with all travel trade media to spread the word.

The #VaxReady #BeTravelReady campaign allows AFTA members to upload short videos to AFTA’s vloggi site where they will be edited together to create a chorus of tailored videos for social, media and lobbying. AFTA members can become part of the campaign here https://upload.vloggi.com/projects/EQQ-003

(Vloggi is the brainchild of former Travel journalist and Travel Weekly News Editor, Justin Wastnage, who has been very supportive of AFTA in providing access to the collaborative platform.)

Quotes attributable to Linda Forster, TravLin Travel (available for interview):
“We need as many AFTA members as possible to get behind this #VaxReady #BeTravelReady campaign. All you need to do is follow the very simple instructions on AFTA’s vloggi site to add your voice and face and help us encourage as many Australians as possible to get vaccinated whilst also using the opportunity to remind them that we as travel industry professionals are keen to get them “travel ready”.

“I’m getting my second jab shortly and will be submitting my video contribution as a result. It’s not only about helping keep our community and those we love safe as well as protecting ourselves, it’s also about getting Australia to that all important threshold of 80% vaccinated so that we can get back to travelling lockdown free and further afield outside our own country!”

Quotes attributable to AFTA Chair Tom Manwaring (available for interview):
“As a member organisation, AFTA welcomes suggestions, ideas and feedback from our members and Linda’s suggestion that she could co-ordinate and replicate her very impactful video from last year was a great one, especially as it fits so nicely with the work already underway here at AFTA.”

“AFTA has been working with a much smaller team for an extended period of time and we certainly appreciate Linda’s contribution. Vloggi is a powerful platform which will allow us to create and tailor our members’ videos to push home the need to be #VaxReady #BeTravelReady and even more importantly share tailored versions directly with the public, government and the media.”