The Australian Federation of Travel Agents has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, welcoming the support for travel agents in NSW and Victoria but asking for wider support for all travel advisors.

An estimated 15,000 jobs have already been lost in Australia’s travel sector. Support measures anchored to jobs like JobKeeper are needed now more than ever given recovery is only going to happen when international travel again becomes possible for most Australians.

Tom Wanwaring, AFTA Chair

To date, Australia’s travel agents have secured an estimated $8 billion worth of credits and refunds for COVID-impacted travel back from hotels, airlines, cruise liners and tour operators for their clients but there’s still an estimated $2 billion outstanding.

This is time-consuming support which agents are providing with little to no income as a result of revenue falls of 95% plus as a result of the international travel ban.

In a letter to PM Morrison, AFTA Chair Tom Manwaring said: