More federal support for travel agents takes off

VICTORIAN travel agents have been encouraged to apply for a grant as part of a $130 million extension of a Coalition Government program.

The payments in the second round of the COVID-19 Consumer Travel Support Program range between $7,500 and $100,000.

Originally announced in December, the program aims to assist travel agents and inbound tour operators and tour wholesalers who have been severely affected by COVID-19.

Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson said travel agents from the Geelong region should apply for funding support in Round 2 when applications open later this month.

“The Coalition Government has committed $258 million to support our travel agents through the COVID-19 Consumer Travel Support Program.

“Our government provided $128 million in Round 1 to support some 3,000 travel agents who continued to serve their customers.

“We are now providing additional support via Round 2 and I encourage local travel agents to check their eligibility and apply for funding.

“Our support for travel agents complements the $1.2 billion aviation and tourism support package which was designed to get domestic tourists spending and follows the successful JobKeeper program.

“We can all support our local travel agents in Victoria by using their services when booking a holiday this year.”

Eligible travel agents and tour operators in Victoria who have received a payment under Round 1 may be entitled to a second payment.

To be eligible, the business must:

• Have been operating a travel agent, inbound tour operator or tour wholesaler business before the announcement of the closure of international borders, and are continuing to operate that business
• Have a turnover of between $50,000 and $20 million (or between $500,000 and $200 million Total Transaction Value) for the 2019 calendar year, and
• Have been in receipt of the JobKeeper extension (September 28, 2020-March 28, 2021).

The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA), which has been travelling nationally for face-to-face meetings with its members about the need for ongoing support, has welcomed Round 2 of the program.

AFTA chair Tom Manwaring said his organisation had worked closely with the Coalition to inform the government’s thinking on both rounds.

“This has continued to involve detailed conversations with Tourism Minister Dan Tehan as well as through to the implementation body, Austrade,” he said.

“We are very grateful for the level of engagement from Minister Tehan and for his commitment to making sure these desperately needed funds get to travel agents and businesses that so badly need support to get through this.

“It is pleasing to see increased support for those travel agents and businesses at the smaller end.

“We continue to push the case for those medium and larger businesses which also badly need support.

“Turnover for the purposes of the grant is total business income.”

Mr Manwaring said the resumption of international travel was “slipping further away” and AFTA members still faced revenue falls of upwards of 90 per cent, so AFTA was pushing for the coming Federal Budget to sustain travel agents through at least the first half of the next financial year.