The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) Board recently convened in Melbourne for its final meeting of the financial year. The Board addressed a number of issues, including the ongoing evolution of the organization and its advocacy efforts to ensure the success of the travel sector.

One of the key topics of discussion was the update of AFTA’s Constitution, which was met with overwhelming positive feedback from members. The Board noted the strong improvement in AFTA’s financial position, with continued renewals and new businesses. The constitutional change will be completed over the next month, with a full vote of the members to occur as part of this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 21 in Sydney.

In addition to the constitutional change, AFTA has been actively making important submissions and representations to a number of organizations, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), AusTrade, and the Parliamentary Review of Tourism. The organization is also keeping a close eye on the upcoming Federal Budget.

The Board also discussed the success of the ATAS Complaint Management system, which has received 227 complaints between December 1, 2022 and February 28, 2023. The majority of complaints were in relation to refunds, and the majority of complainants had failed to raise their issue formally.

AFTA CEO Dean Long briefed the Board on the insights gained from the recent Women in Travel Summit in Sydney on March 13. These insights will form the basis of AFTA’s inaugural white paper on what the travel industry does well and areas for improvement.

The Board also discussed the recent appointment of the 7 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) Custodians and ongoing preparations for the NTIA event in Melbourne on November 18.

As AFTA continues to evolve and advocate for the travel industry, its Board remains committed to improving the organization and ensuring the sector’s success. The upcoming AGM in June will be an important opportunity for members to vote on the constitutional changes and help shape the future of the organization.

Written by: Stephen Morton

======================================