Travel industry coronavirus: Mornington Peninsula agents’ plea for help
Travel agents across the Mornington Peninsula are calling for a vital funding injection into Australia’s travel industry, which they say has been brought to its knees by the pandemic.
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Mornington Peninsula travel agents have joined forces to back an industry call for a $125 million government support package in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Up to 30 travel agents from across the region met recently with Flinders MP Greg Hunt to highlight issues facing the industry and lobby for more support.
Mornington Travel’s managing director Lee Midson said international travel services accounted for 75-95 per cent of gross sales for most agents and with borders closed and airlines grounded generating income during lockdown was impossible.
But agencies had stayed open during lockdown to manage the cancellations of bookings and secure refunds for clients.
“Travel agents are working around the clock managing these processes and monitoring the status of their clients’ cancellations on a continual daily basis, all while being unable to generate income due to the travel restrictions and border closures,” Ms Midson said.
She said none of that work would have been possible without JobKeeper and
other government stimulus support for business.
“We’re very grateful for that support. But we will need it to continue as full recovery for many agencies may not be until late 2021/2022,” she said.
AFTA (Australian Federation of Travel Agents) is calling on the government to bankroll a
$125 million support package to help the country’s 4000 travel agencies.
The travel industry employs 40,000 people Australia-wide and contributes $28 billion each year to the economy, and 70 per cent of international travel is booked through agents, according to information provided by AFTA.
The majority of travel agencies are small, family owned businesses, and AFTA estimates that up to a quarter could close as a result of the economic fallout from the virus.
The industry hasn’t received any support outside of the standard coronavirus support packages offered to all businesses such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker.
In contrast, other industries have received hundreds of millions of dollars in monetary relief, including builders through the home builder scheme ($688 million), Arts and entertainment ($250 million), film and television ($400 million), and aviation ($1.1 billion).
Ms Midson said the Mornington Peninsula community could also help to support the sector
by choosing to shop and buy local and booking their next holiday with their local travel agent.
“It’s important to remember that most travel agencies are small businesses, they are Australian owned and employ local people,” she said.
By booking your next domestic trip or future international holiday with your local travel agent this will help that business get through the impact of this pandemic”.
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