Half price airfares on offer in government’s tourism support package
Plane tickets from Adelaide to major holiday destinations in Australia will be half price from April as part of a $1.2bn tourism rescue package. Here’s how to book.
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Plane tickets from Adelaide to holiday destinations in Queensland, as well as Alice Springs and Kangaroo Island, will be half price, in a major boost for the tourism sector.
The flight subsidy is part of the Federal Government’s $1.2bn support package.
Half the cost of any airfare for specific tourism routes within Australia between April 1 and July 31 will be covered by the government.
From April, people will be able to log onto major airline websites, including Qantas and Virgin, and book as many discounted flights as they want on 13 designated routes. These include to the Gold Coast, Cairns, Uluru and Kingscote, on Kangaroo Island.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday the cheap airfares would be the tourism sector’s “ticket to recovery” with thousands of businesses to benefit from the increase in domestic travel. “This package will take more tourists to our hotels and cafes, taking tours and exploring our backyard,” he said.
“That means more jobs and investment for the tourism and aviation sectors as Australia heads toward winning our fight against COVID-19 and the restrictions that have hurt so many businesses.”
The flight subsidy will be demand-driven, but the government estimates it will fund 46,000 trips a week or 800,000 for the life of the scheme.
The government’s airline support package will also include direct funding to international carriers that provide an assurance they will maintain a set level of flight readiness for when overseas travel resumes.
Each month from April until October 31, when international flights are expected to resume, Qantas and Virgin would be required to demonstrate they have kept on staff.
The initiative is expected to keep thousands of airline workers in a job. The government will also offer low-interest loans to small and medium businesses in the tourism sector that have been on JobKeeper in the most recent quarter, but which is due to end this month.
The loans of up to $5m for 10 years with a 24-month repayment holiday could be either credit or to refinance.
The government will also fund an aviation services accreditation support program from the end of March until September to cover the cost of ground handlers maintaining their mandatory training, certification, and accreditation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the support totalling $1.2bn would boost interstate tourism and aviation in key regions significantly impacted by the loss of tourists.
“In a big win for local communities, especially in regional Australia,” he said. “We will financially support flights which are so key to health services, employment opportunities and also to social activities.”
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