February 3, 2021
The beleaguered tourism industry is supercharging its appeal to the federal government for more support in its new ‘save the travel industry’ campaign, as the end of JobKeeper edges closer in March.
The campaign, which kicked off on Monday, is led by Matt Leedham, founder of Karryon and Travel to Change the World, and other industry players, including Darren Rudd, chief executive of Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) and Dennis Bunnik of the Council of Australian Tour Operators.
The industry groups say that if a targeted rescue package does not kick in as soon as JobKeeper winds up on March 28, only one-in-10 travel agents will survive beyond April.
The Prime Minister says he hopes Australian can make real progress soon on a travel bubble with Pacific Island nations by working with them on their COVID-19 testing capabilities. Speaking to John Laws on 2SM this morning, the Prime Minister said he would love to see a Pacific bubble . We are working [with] countries like Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Fiji and so on, because we also have a lot of seasonal workers, he said. We don t have full confidence yet that they are just going to a complete what s called a green lane. But we re working with them to ensure we can just lift that confidence. We ll be seeking to support them with their testing over there and I hope we can make some real progress on that soon.
18 Dec 2020
Closing out a year like no other, the Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) recently gathered (COVID-safely, of course) at the Travel Industry Hub in North Sydney for its annual Christmas party.
Sponsored by Catalan Tourist Board, the evening included wine and interactive food tasting, showcasing the rich flavours the region is famous for.
The event even included a Catalonian chef to prepare paella for the guests, as well as a live Zoom call with a pair of cocineros (chefs) from their patio in Barcelona.
CATO managing director Brett Jardine said: “It was wonderful to feel that sense of ‘travel’ again, and to deliver a proper Christmas gathering for such a positive group of people who have really had a difficult 2020.”