FOR the first time in decades
Australia now has uniform
legislation governing the travel
industry, after the Tasmanian
parliament joined the rest of the
nation in repealing its previous
travel agent licensing laws.
The landmark move happened
on Tue when the island state’s
Travel Agent Repeal Bill 2014 was
passed with bipartisan support.
AFTA said the repeal removes
the outdated licensing program
which added significant business
costs to Tasmanian based travel
distributors, with ceo Jayson
Westbury saying “this is a
milestone worth celebrating.
“It concludes a very long
journey, but finally the Australian
travel industry is free from
regulatory burden and opens
the way for ATAS – an industry
led endorsement scheme, based
upon professional standards,
trustworthiness and experience”.
Westbury said Tasmania is now
aligned with the rest of Australia,
removing confusion and allowing
new travel related business
practices to be fully rolled out.
“Travel agents are now free to
make commercial decisions which
will make them more competitive
in today’s market place,” he said.
There are now over 2,300 ATAS
accredited locations in Australia,
and to date 27 Tassie agencies are
already part of the scheme.
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