Airlines appear to be overselling flights and blaming travel agents when passengers are bumped, according to the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ).

Now is the time to really drive home the value message of dealing with a Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) accredited agent – especially when it comes to the protection of their money, says the organisation’s chief executive officer Greg Hamilton.

The Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) is noting some positive movement in terms of increasing staff numbers on the front line, despite human resources still being a major challenge for the industry.

Chief executive Greg Hamilton says he is hearing from a number of members who have done well at attracting people back and employing new staff.

A ‘charter’ or template around the protection of consumer funds and a ‘plain English’ list of frequently asked questions and answers are both possible outcomes of the second Travel Partners Forum involving The Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) and suppliers to the industry.

Greg Hamilton, chief executive officer of TAANZ, noted that at the first such meeting early this year, participants were concerned about consumer confidence around getting back on planes and travelling again.

Developing a public relations and marketing strategy around attracting new people into the industry is a major priority for the Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand, says chief executive officer Greg Hamilton.

‘We will be going out to engage with members about what they need on this front,’ says Hamilton.

‘Presuming members will not be able to replace all the gaps with experienced people, what skill sets do new people need and what does the training for that look like?

The industry is having to cope with rapid growth in volume on as little as 25% of the pre-Covid workforce, says new Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) CEO Greg Hamilton.

‘In every agency and head-office I have visited in my first week, I have seen empty desks waiting to be filled again.’

The Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) has appointed Greg Hamilton as chief executive officer.

Hamilton brings to the organisation 35 years of experience in leadership positions across the travel, not-for profit, membership and political sectors, and comes to his new role having spent the past 11 years as general manager and general secretary of the National Party.