Show Notes

⚠️ Heads up: this one's got some colorful language.

In this episode of The Best Part of Travel, we’re bringing you a crowd-favorite conversation recorded live at Arival Brisbane, featuring Graham "Skroo" Turner — founder of Top Deck Tours and Flight Centre, and a living legend of the Australian travel industry. In this interview with Brendan Roberts, CCO of TourRadar, Skroo offers an unfiltered take on everything from the scrappy early days of running bus tours in the ‘70s to whether AI is putting travel agencies at risk today.

• The scrappy origin story: How a veterinarian on holiday in London ended up buying a secondhand double-decker bus, sneaking it on a ferry, and building it into Top Deck Tours.

• Easier then or now? Skroo's take on whether it's harder to start a business today, given the internet and AI tools versus the capital, legislative and licensing hurdles of the 1970s.

• From competition to collaboration and the CATO-ATIA merger: What it means that Australia's tour operator and travel agent associations are merging into one body, and why Skroo believes the industry has shifted from cutthroat competition to a more collaborative environment.

• The supplier relationship: Skroo’s perspective on working with partners, owning local products, and growing the pie of in-destination experiences

• AI, disintermediation and trust: Skroo's personal use of AI, his honest read on how much AI is actually saving companies money right now, and whether AI "eats" the travel agent or equips them to grow.

👉 Listen or watch now for the full, unfiltered conversation.

Some resources and other things we mention:

• Arival Brisbane highlights article

• The CATO-ATIA merger

• Upcoming Arival events

The Best Part of Travel podcast is brought to you by Arival. Season Three is sponsored by Protect Group.