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The Australian Travel Industry Association has selected seven travel professionals for two famils to Fukushima, Japan, with the first trip departing today (Wednesday).<\/strong><\/p>\n ATIA, working with Fukushima Prefecture, received more than 100 applications for the places. Three agents will take part in the Aizu Course, running from 21 to 25 October. They are Heidi Barrenger from Angas Travel, Cheuk Ming Mitchell Tam from Phil Hoffmann Travel \u2013 Norwood, and Molly Jackson from itravel Griffith.<\/p>\n The program will showcase the region\u2019s culture, history, cuisine and traditional Japanese experiences.<\/p>\n Four agents will join the Hamad\u014dri Course from 25 to 29 October: Louise Leo from Ida Portella Business and Travel Services, Melissa Goodwin from Envoyage Cronulla, Vicki Carmichael from Main Beach Travel, and Eileen Orrell from MTA.<\/p>\n That program will focus on the region\u2019s tourism experiences and the story of Fukushima\u2019s recovery and regeneration, including the prefecture\u2019s Hope Tourism offering.<\/p>\n The famils form part of ATIA\u2019s partnership with Fukushima Prefecture and are designed to give agents first-hand knowledge to introduce the destination to their customers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were thrilled to receive more than 100 applications for just seven places across these two famils,\u201d ATIA CEO Dean Long said. \u201cThe level of interest speaks volumes about the appetite within our industry to discover new destinations and experiences in Japan and bring those stories back to Australian travellers.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations to Heidi, Mitchell, Molly, Louise, Melissa, Vicki and Eileen. We are delighted to have such a strong group representing the ATIA community and look forward to following their journeys through Fukushima.<\/p>\n \u201cI would also like to thank every travel professional who took the time to apply. With such an incredible response, selecting just seven participants was never going to be easy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good news for those who missed out this time is that this is not the end of the opportunity. ATIA will continue to work with Fukushima Prefecture to deliver various promotional activities for the Australian travel industry in 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank Fukushima Prefecture for its continued partnership with ATIA and its investment in helping Australian travel professionals discover more of what Fukushima has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n