With the coronavirus (COVID-19) impacting many travel industry participants, the Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) is reminding travel agents of the benefits of dealing with CATO Members, not just in times of uncertainty.
CATO Member businesses are experts in global travel, and act as intermediaries or are operating tours to just about every corner of the planet through an extraordinary depth and breadth of offerings.
“CATO Members have regular, direct contact with their in-destination teams and ground operators, and are therefore in a highly informed position to assess local conditions and the viability of their operations at this time,” said CATO’s Managing Director, Brett Jardine.
Jardine added that, “Historically, Australian leisure travellers have been very resilient and are quick to lead the recovery into markets that have been impacted by specific events. With this in mind, CATO Members remain positive and are well equipped to handle the inevitable influx of new business expected once concerns over the coronavirus settle.”
The government’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, has penned a letter [20FEB20] to Australian tourism industry operators regarding the coronavirus outbreak saying that given “the success of the travel restrictions that have helped Australia to contain the virus, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has recommended the current travel restrictions and advisories remain in place, to be reviewed in another week.”
The Australian Government has accepted these recommendations.
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