Punch-drunk Queensland tourism operators say they are losing the fighting spirit that has seen them withstand cyclones, floods and bushfires as they face a $250m king hit from the latest border closure. Less than three weeks after getting up off the canvas when the border reopened following eight months of devastation, the $28bn-a-year tourism industry is back on the ropes. The Palaszczuk government yesterday slammed shut the border to millions of potential Christmas holiday-makers from Sydney and surrounding areas, sparking mass cancellations. Gold Coast and far north Queensland operators are facing the biggest hit, losing up to 20 per cent of holiday bookings just as they were looking forward to a bumper Christmas to make up for hundreds of millions of dollars already lost this year during the pandemic.
11 Dec 2020
Travel Counsellors has announced its departure from the local market, with Australian franchisees to migrate to Express Travel Group (ETG) in early 2021.
Travel Counsellors and ETG have held extensive talks to ensure that individual Travel Counsellors will be supported to continue running their corporate and leisure travel businesses in the country.
The transition will take place on 1 February 2021, with plans to launch a new brand under the ETG umbrella in 2021.
Travel Counsellors CEO Steve Byrne will oversee the transition in an advisory role. Regional managing director Kaylene Shuttlewood and a number of the Travel Counsellors’ support team based in Melbourne will transfer to ETG, headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.