The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) hosted its Beyond Borders on the Road event in Sydney, drawing 50 travel professionals for a comprehensive session on compliance, advocacy, and marketing. Held at Cover-More’s North Sydney office and sponsored by TravelPay, the event provided crucial updates and insights for the travel sector amidst ongoing challenges.
Attendees received updates from Qatar Airways regarding operations in the Middle East conflict, and ATIA CEO Dean Long shared proprietary consumer sentiment research. Notably, ATIA's advocacy efforts saved accredited members significant costs, with a reported $14,000 in setup costs and $8,000 annually in ongoing fees. Nina Hedges, ATIA's Director of Compliance, emphasised the importance of accreditation by comparing it to tuna, stating, "It’s what ATIA rejects that makes ATIA accredited businesses the best."
The event also featured a marketing masterclass by Nicole O’Sullivan and Chris Fundell, focusing on personal branding and social media strategies. Participants left with practical worksheets to implement these strategies in their businesses.
Dean Long highlighted the unexpected enjoyment attendees found in the session, stating, “The most common piece of feedback we got was that people didn’t expect to have so much fun. Compliance. Accreditation. Advocacy. Public policy. These are not words that make people rush to register for an event.”
The Beyond Borders series will continue in Brisbane on 20 May, Adelaide on 20 July, and Perth on 22 July, culminating in the Beyond Borders Travel Summit on 9 October in Melbourne
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