Gold Coast the big winner in half-price airfare sale

More than a quarter of the federal government’s half-price airfares have been sold on flights to one destination.

More than a quarter of half-price airfares sold in the government’s aviation support program have been to the Gold Coast. Picture: Tourism Australia

The big winners from the federal government’s half-price airfare initiative have been revealed, with more seats sold on flights to the Gold Coast than any of the other 15 destinations.

Designed to stimulate domestic travel in Australia, 800,000 half-price fares were made available for sale through airlines and travel agents, subsidised by taxpayers.

In the four weeks since going on sale, 663,000 of the fares have been snapped up, with the remainder expected to sell within days.

A breakdown of how many fares were sold to each destination showed more than a quarter were purchased for flights to the Gold Coast, some 197,730 seats.

Adelaide was the second most popular destination, with 159,964 half-price airline seats sold, followed by Hobart, with 80,239.

Cairns, Launceston and the Sunshine Coast came in next, in a promising boost for tourism operators over the cooler months.

Significantly fewer fares were sold to places like Kangaroo Island (767), Merimbula (1431) and Broome (2441), due in part to limited airline capacity and scant accommodation options.

A joint statement from Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said the initiative had been a “lifesaver” for Australia’s aviation and tourism industries.

“We have always said planes in the air mean jobs on the ground and with airlines reporting record-breaking sales, we see further proof of our economy’s comeback,” Mr McCormack and Mr Tehan said.

“More than 82 per cent of our half-priced tickets have been sold in just one month and we know demand remains strong.”

 

The ministers encouraged Australians to take advantage of the opportunity to book a cheap holiday with 137,000 tickets still available.

“For every dollar spent on a flight, ten more will be spent on the ground,” Mr Tehan and Mr McCormack said.

“The tourism and aviation industries are central to our national economic recovery plan and we will continue to make the necessary investments to support jobs across Australia,” the ministers said.

In a previous statement, the ministers indicated the program would be carefully reviewed on completion, and a decision made on whether any further stimulus was needed for domestic tourism.

Airlines have revelled in the program’s success, however, with Virgin Australia recording its biggest day of ticket sales at the start of the month, selling enough seats to fill 400 Boeing 737s.

And Qantas recently revealed the airline would exceed pre-pandemic domestic capacity in the second half of the year, while budget partner Jetstar was already back to where it was pre-COVID.