Get ready to travel again with Covid-safe campaign

It has been a tough few years for travel and things are finally looking up. But it’s a whole new world with Covid-safety a key factor.

Hello World Travel’s Yohan Siva and Julie Robinson wearing their ‘Vaxxed for Freedom’ badges. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Justine Sealey has spent most of the last two years working in reverse.

The owner of Ramsgate Travel, based in Sydney’s south, had spent countless hours booking trips for clients, but when the pandemic hit in March 2020, she couldn’t go into hibernation. Her clients needed refunds so she had to undo everything, meticulously chasing suppliers in an industry not designed to go backwards.

“It’s not like retail where you can just go to the refund desk,” Ms Sealey said.

“We had millions of funds held in credit with suppliers. It shows that if you’re not working with a travel agent, you’re on your own.”

The travel industry has been one of the hardest hit.

International tourism vanished due to the strict international border closure, while domestic tourism fell 41 per cent from 2019 to 2020 to $81 billion.

Yohan Siva, who operates three Helloworld stores in Sydney, said it has been extremely challenging.

On top of organising refunds for things like flights, hotels, and tours, clients demanded all their fees back as well.

“The fact we had done hours of work to plan holidays, and get people to where they were going, and then undo it all, we were left with nothing,” Mr Siva said.

That’s what pays our rent, our salaries, our bills.

“The vaccination rate means a lot to us. It’s our responsibility to ensure not just that Australians in Australia are safe, but that the rest of the world is safe, so we can safely and fearlessly travel again.”

Dreaming of a holiday in Santorini. Picture: iStock.

Small businesses all over Australia have suffered at the hands of Covid-19.

SNAP, a printing company with more than 130 franchises, has felt it keenly.

The company is supporting the travel industry, and many others, by providing ‘Vaxxed for Freedom’ pins, signs, and posters that promote jabs to secure Covid-safe trade.

“We have all missed the little things so much and what we want to do is encourage every Australian to get their sleeves rolled up and to be vaccinated so we can get back to living,” chief executive Richard Thame said.

A key part of that is booking our tickets.

“The advice we’re giving our clients is to book now for the second half of 2022 and beyond,” Liberty Tours chief executive Steven Cairns said.

“Hundreds of thousands of Australians have credits and they all want to travel.

“Europe and America are booking out - if you don’t get in now, you’re going to miss out or pay a premium.”

Originally published as Get ready to travel again with Covid-safe campaign