Earlier this year, the Australian Travel Industry Association announced the formation of the Independent Travel Agent/Advisor Association — the ITAA. I was appointed as one of the founding members, alongside a capable group of industry professionals from around the country.
I wanted to take a moment to explain what the role involves and why I put my hand up for it.
What the ITAA is
The ITAA sits within ATIA and exists for one primary purpose — to ensure the perspective of working advisors and independent agencies is clearly represented at an industry level. That means practical insight informing the discussions that shape policy, accreditation and the direction of the broader industry.
It is a committee built around the people who are actually doing the work day to day.
Why it matters
The travel industry has no shortage of discussion. Conferences, forums and working groups are a regular feature of the calendar. What has been less consistent is whether the voice of the independent advisor — the person managing complex itineraries, handling disruptions and maintaining client relationships without the backing of a large corporate structure — is genuinely represented in those conversations.
That gap is what the ITAA is designed to address.
Independent advisors deal with a wide range of operational challenges that rarely make it beyond the walls of their own businesses. Systemic issues with airline processes, accreditation requirements that do not reflect how independent businesses actually operate, workflows that create unnecessary friction — these are the kinds of issues that deserve a proper hearing.
What I am bringing to it
I am not coming into this role with a prepared agenda or a list of promises. That is not what this requires.
What I am bringing is close to two decades of experience running a business at the end of the supply chain, dealing directly with clients, suppliers and the day-to-day realities of what it takes to deliver well. That perspective is useful precisely because it is grounded in what actually happens, not what is assumed to happen from further up the chain.
Listening will be as important as contributing. Hearing what other advisors are dealing with across different markets, different business models and different client bases will shape what gets raised and how.
This is new ground
The ITAA has not existed before. Like anything built from scratch, there will be things to figure out along the way. The measure of success will not be in the number of meetings held or papers produced. It will be in whether working advisors feel their issues are being heard and whether practical outcomes follow.
That is the standard I intend to hold it to.
A note to advisors
If there are systemic issues affecting your business or ideas worth raising at an industry level, those are conversations worth having. The value of a committee like this is directly proportional to the quality of what gets brought to it.
This is an open door.
If you would like to understand how we manage travel differently at Bonaventure Travel, contact us to start the conversation.
The content in this post is intended as general information only. It does not constitute professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. Bonaventure Travel recommends seeking specific advice relevant to your individual circumstances.