Small travel agencies say they are still spending a lot of time working on holiday refunds for clients, even if it means losing their commission over the booking.
Holidays for 2020 were cancelled en masse due to the coronavirus pandemic, but those that booked the trip through travel agents can only get their refund via that agent.
Corowa's Susan Wynne has been running her own domestic and international travel agency for 20 years, but this year she has made more refunds than bookings.
"There's still bookings that we need to cancel, but we have to wait until the companies allow us because they're doing it all on date departures," Mrs Wynne said.
"We're having to pay back commissions that we earned on bookings that we made 18 months ago."
It has been a similar story for Wagga Wagga travel agent Karly Fynn, who has been doing refunds since February.
"Everything that I've been doing on the travel side of things has been cancellations, reschedules, rebookings and processing refunds," she said.
Mrs Fynn said some refunds had been more work than the original booking.
"The more complicated, with more components and different suppliers and providers, the more difficult it is, mainly because you don't get your refund back at the same time," she said.
"The airlines cancellation policies around COVID and this pandemic have changed so many times, so trying to keep up with that information is really time consuming."
Mrs Fynn said she understood why some clients wanted their full refund, including her commission, but was grateful others had allowed her to keep the fee.
"They know I'm doing this extra work for them … whereas others have not been so supportive," she said.
Mum and dad travel agencies struggling
The Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman says the early results of a survey shows the COVID-19 crisis has had a "devastating" impact on small and family run travel agencies.
Ombudsman Kate Carnell said of more than 1000 mum and dad travel agents who completed the online survey within the first three days, 98 per cent said revenue plunged by at least 75 per cent since March restrictions.
"More than half have told us their revenue has plummeted by over 100 per cent, meaning they have been paying more out in refunds, including previously made revenue, than they are selling in new business," Ms Carnell said.
Mrs Fynn said she was fortunate that she also worked as an events organiser, and that business was starting to pick up again as restrictions eased.
But Mrs Wynne said she had only earned $450 from her travel business this year, and had to reduce hours, cut staff and find other work.
"I'm doing some roustabouting and some helping out in some shearing sheds," she said.
"I'm happy to try anything if that means that I can earn some money to support my family."
Both agents hope people will look to local agents for domestic travel as restrictions ease up.
"Otherwise there's going to be very few of us that do survive it," Mrs Wynne said.
Mrs Wynne said she would be there working until every client had their money back.
"We're fighting for every cent," she said.
