ATAS changes gear as GM O’Riordan departs

Human hand with manual transmission
By Anne Majumdar


The Australian Federation of Travel Agents will no longer have a general manager for its accreditation scheme, with Gary O’Riordan departing the organisation after almost three years and no replacement sought.

O’Riordan was brought on board in April 2013 to head up the AFTA Travel Accreditation Scheme as deregulation loomed, charged with overseeing the scheme’s development and implementation.GaryORiordan

It recently underwent its first year review, prompting some tweaks to the scheme which AFTA announced last week.

“AFTA has reviewed our structure and with the heavy lifting of the development and implementation of ATAS now complete and the first year review concluded, we feel that our structure can more than adequately accommodate the needs to ensure the scheme continues to achieve the success it has received to date,” AFTA chief executive Jayson Westbury said.

He thanked O’Riordan for his “incredible” contribution which he said has seen the scheme win “extensive” industry support.

“AFTA membership has grown significantly over this period as the industry have embraced the scheme and see the benefit of the national advertising campaign promoting accredited agents,” he said.

“It has been a pleasure to have Gary on the AFTA team and he will be missed.”

Westbury reassured the industry that the absence of the general manager going forward was not a matter for concern.

“The team at AFTA will continue to perform the necessary tasks to continue in Gary’s foot steps to ensure that ATAS and AFTA remains successful,” he said.

The year ahead will see “considerable” advertising campaigns developed to ensure consumers are aware of ATAS travel agents.

“ATAS will continue to evolve for both the consumers and travel agents going forward,” Westbury promised.

 

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]