Christian Hunter - Views from the Chair

Christian Hunter holds two job titles: Managing Director of Travellers Choice and Chair of the Australian Travel Industry Association. Each on their own carry enormous responsibilty....but two? How does he do it?! In the first new episode from a while (sorry!), we open a batch of new interviews by heading straight to the top of the industry. We begin with an honest look at 2026 thus far. After a confusing year for travel advisors AC shares her own experiences before asking Christian for a wider perspective from a macro level. Spoiler alert - forward bookings are looking promising.  Christian talks about the Travellers Choice story, including how a member-owned cooperative actually works and what makes it different. We ask whether the needs of agencies are changing in the current travel landscape, and touch on AI's place at the table.  Onto ATIA. We cover Christian's journey to become Chair, whether it's too early to ask him about his potential legacy, and what real changes or benefits members might expect after CATO, the ATMC and the newly-formed ITAA commitee have all combined under the ATIA umbrella.  We successfully manage to get Christian to offload some his travel peeves. Airports should pay attention, as should substandard event emcees, and if you're sitting in front of Christian on a domestic flight and are thinking of reclining your seats, you may want to reconsider. Not to be outdone, AC has one of her own about the quality of supplier documentation not matching the experience itself.  ___ This episode is brought to you by Offloaded. If you'd like to support us, please follow us on LinkedIn and/or Facebook. And if you haven't already, subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform. Links mentioned in this episode: Christian Hunter on LinkedIn Travellers Choice Australian Travel Industry Association