The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has sharpened its pitch to Canberra, urging Treasury to permanently protect the right of accredited travel businesses to sell travel insurance at the point of booking, a practice the industry says simply makes sense.
At the heart of the push is a 2021 exemption secured by ATIA that allows agents and operators to bundle travel insurance alongside flights, cruises and packages. That safeguard expires in October, and ATIA wants certainty well before the clock runs out.
Its argument is refreshingly straightforward: travellers make their most informed decisions at booking. That’s when destinations are chosen, itineraries locked in, and risks become tangible. Separate insurance from that moment, ATIA warns, and you introduce friction and danger.
The association’s submission to Treasury paints a sobering picture if the exemption lapses. A delay between booking and cover could see more Australians travelling uninsured or underinsured, exposing families to medical bills, cancellation losses and avoidable financial strain abroad. It would also add pressure to government consular services and chip away at confidence among small and medium-sized travel businesses already navigating thin margins.
Most travellers already buy insurance at booking, ATIA notes. Break that natural link, and uptake could falter.
Importantly, the association stresses that travel advisors don’t merely sell policies, they contextualise them. Whether it’s skiing in Japan, expedition cruising or multi-stop global adventures, agents help ensure cover aligns with the realities of each journey.
Consumer safeguards are already robust, with a 14-day cooling-off period and strict Design and Distribution Obligations in place. Adding more red tape, ATIA argues, won’t improve protection; it will simply create risk.
ATIA CEO Dean Long has been blunt about the stakes.
“We secured this exemption for our members in 2021 and we are determined to ensure it is made permanent.”
“This is about protecting the right of accredited Australian travel businesses to provide a complete service to their clients.”
“Travel insurance at the time of booking is common sense. It protects travellers and it supports small business.”
“If this exemption is allowed to lapse, more Australians will travel uninsured. That is the real-world consequence.”
“We will continue to stand up for our members and for the travellers they protect every day.”
For an industry still rebuilding confidence post-pandemic, certainty matters. And if ATIA gets its way, travel insurance at booking may soon shift from a temporary fix to a permanent fixture.
by My Thanh Pham – (c) 2026.
Read Time: 2 minutes.
About the Writer.
My Thanh Pham has lived more of a life of travel than most people ever do. After studying tourism, she went straight into the work of building journeys across South-East Asia, temples, beaches, night trains, and all, quietly fixing the messy bits so others could enjoy the ride.
She was never meant to stay behind a desk. Airline life followed, dividing her days between reservations and the airport floor, right where travel shows its true colours. Missed flights, tight hugs, frayed tempers, sudden joy, she saw it all, close up.
Now at Global Travel Media, My Thanh has traded ticket stubs for a keyboard. She writes the way she once worked: steady, clear-eyed and respectful of the road’s unpredictable rhythm, guiding readers through a world she knows from the inside.
