INTREPID Travel’s newly installed Managing Director ANZ, Sarah Clark, wants to see the new Federal Government provide more details about its pre-election commitment to spend $48 million to help the country’s travel and tourism sectors recover from the pandemic.

Speaking with TD this week, Clark said that while the financial pledge is crucial to the industry, the package now needs to be “padded out more” to see exactly how it will benefit travel.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what [the Government] says and how they execute on that $48 million commitment because it is spread across a lot of different areas, and there’s so much that needs to be done,” Clark observed.

Intrepid’s chief added that tackling staff shortages is perhaps the most pressing need presently facing travel and tourism.

“Without those staff, you’re not going to have those experiences or accommodations to actually offer, whether that’s domestic or filtering into international travellers as well,” she argued.

“Getting more people back into the tourism industry is really important because a lot of people did leave and so seeing if we can get some of those people back is key, but then there’s also that wider issue of just needing more people for the jobs that we have in Australia as well.

“That’s where you cross into the field of skilled migration and absolutely categorising some of those roles so that we can attract, as well as looking at Working Holiday visas to supplement the workforce,” Clark added.

While many people have left travel and tourism during the shutdown to pursue employment opportunities in other industries, Clark said there was still many things government can do to attract talent, including education incentives around TAFE courses.

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THE travel industry has welcomed the confirmation today that Don Farrell has been officially appointed as Australia’s new Tourism and Trade Minister.

Flagged as the likely successor by Travel Daily last week (TD 23 May), the South Australian-based Senator arrives in the role after previously holding the Minister Assisting on Tourism position for a brief period under the second Kevin Rudd administration in 2013, a responsibility he held for only two months along with the sport portfolio.

Before politics, Farrell was the Secretary and National President of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) union in South Australia.

In welcoming Farrell to the job, AFTA CEO Dean Long said he was already in dialogue with the Senator to tackle the issue of rebuilding the travel and tourism workforce in the face of ongoing worker shortages.

“More than a third of our workforce was wiped out as a result of COVID-restrictions and now, at a time when travelling Australians need professional travel advice more than ever, we urgently need to address that skills and workforce shortage,” Long said.

“Senator Farrell has been a long-standing champion of Australia’s travel agents and businesses and AFTA is proud to have a long-standing relationship with him and his office,” he added.

CATO’s MD Brett Jardine also hailed Farrell’s appointment, citing his keenness to work with the Senator on forging ahead with ongoing support measures.

“We look forward to further engagement with Don Farrell and the new Labor government as we seek ongoing support for travel businesses that remain heavily impacted by COVID related restrictions,” Jardine said.

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MULTINATIONAL oil & gas company Shell has awarded its travel business to Flight Centre’s FCM in a multi-year contract commencing in 2022.

FCM Global Managing Director Marcus Eklund believes the brand triumphed due to its client-first approach that prioritises the needs of travellers, and its preferred systems which do not compromise on quality.

“As we begin our journey with Shell, we are truly excited to work in partnership with their global travel team to devise and implement a comprehensive program that delivers on their goals, while making business travel simpler, safer and productive for their employees,” Eklund said.

“At FCM we’re unafraid to challenge conventions nor are we limited by the constraints that many of our competitors face thanks to our global range, proprietary technology, and inherent flexibility.

“This means we can provide a truly bespoke solution to clients like Shell that accommodates a variety of complex needs within an integrated globally consistent experience.”

Commenting on the appointment, Shell’s Global Travel Operations Manager Julia Sullivan said: “we look forward to working with FCM and to leveraging their digital capability and innovative approach.

“Our joint goal is to make a positive difference to our employees’ travel experiences, supporting their wellbeing and empowering them to make more sustainable travel choices.”

“Business travel is changing and in FCM we have found a partner that understands the challenges and supports our ambition to establish a travel program,” Sullivan added.

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