Being a member of the ASTW means you have been independently reviewed, accepted and accredited as a bona fide member of Australia’s peak body for travel media. As well as industry credibility, membership provides access to the ASTW’s exciting year-round program of professional and social events.
Some of the benefits of membership include:
Members receive a personalised ID card and are authorised to add the ASTW logo to their email signature and other personal channels such as websites, blogs, LinkedIn profiles and resumes. The ASTW logo is widely recognised across the travel industry.
The ASTW lets you join a broad network of travel media professionals, which can lead to new work commissions, famil invitations, exchange of ideas, and up-to-date industry information, as well as the advice and support of likeminded colleagues. Our events offer numerous opportunities to meet and engage with your peers across the travel media spectrum, including writers, PRs and other industry professionals from across Australia and New Zealand.
The ASTW has a focus on ongoing professional development, and we offer members a range of valuable opportunities to upskill and gain new knowledge via webinars, in-person training sessions and conferences.
Most of our webinars are free to members and are conducted by ASTW colleagues who share their expertise as leaders in their field. All webinar recordings are stored in the members-only section of the ASTW website for future access.
Joining the ASTW also gives you access to a private Facebook group, where members regularly exchange tips, information and ideas.
Other training may be at a nominal cost when we engage experts from outside the society.
Our comprehensive ASTW members’ directory can be accessed via the members-only section of the ASTW website. This resource makes it easy to search and find the contact details of media colleagues or the right PR representative for a destination, company or brand.
Every ASTW member has full access to this database.
Throughout the year, regular ASTW events are held around Australia. Our events are often generously subsidised by travel and tourism sponsors, who take the opportunity to spread awareness about their destination, products and services.
Members can attend as many events as they wish, in any destination.
Members have the opportunity to enter the prestigious annual ASTW Awards for Excellence, which honour our top travel writers, digital publishers, photographers and communicators. The awards are open to members only and provide the opportunity to showcase your work, compete for best of the best titles in numerous categories and win generous prizes.
The awards are rigorously judged anonymously by esteemed non-ASTW writers/photographers/PR professionals working in Australia and internationally.
Each year, around 500 entries are received in around 20 categories, and each category is judged by a panel of three.
The ASTW Convention
The ASTW Convention (usually run annually) combines networking and professional development, with each convention held in a different destination, either domestically or internationally. The convention is a heavily sponsored major event, which offers tourism destinations and their stakeholders the chance to host travel media en masse in their region, and our members benefit from a convention program that typically includes:
· a packed agenda of guest speakers, presentations and workshops
· the ASTW annual general meeting
· the ASTW Awards for Excellence gala dinner
· a program of pre and post-conference famils, providing attendees the opportunity to explore the host destination and surrounds.
Members have access to our social media channels including members-only sections of both the ASTW website and Facebook page. Via our website, members can access our membership directory, register and pay online for ASTW events, check on special offers for our members and access training resources and webinars.
Members also receive a regular newsletter that shares ASTW news, upcoming events, member profiles and other relevant industry information.
TravMedia
TravMedia is a long-time and valued partner of the ASTW. ASTW writer and digital publisher members receive automatic membership of the professional networking and press release distribution platform TravMedia, and each member has the ASTW logo displayed alongside their TravMedia profile for added industry credibility.
Members can post their published work on the TravMedia site, request specific information from PRs and have access to call-outs from editors seeking stories (or photographers) via the Editor Alert and Journalist Alert functions.
ASTW writers and digital publishers have confirmed attendance (space permitting) at TravMedia’s annual International Media Marketplace (IMM), a valuable networking event where travel media and travel companies connect via a series of pre-scheduled face-to-face meetings and social functions.
Product and service discounts
ASTW members receive discounts on a range of products and services. At the moment we have deals that include 50% off travel insurance policies, a 10% discount on car rental, 25% off Sims and eSims, discounts on membership to airport lounges and carsharing companies, 15% off hotels and free guidebooks. You can access each of these as soon as your membership is approved.
