International borders: Are Aussies going to miss the boat?
Australians now see travel as a need, not a want, and won’t take it for granted again. But how long should we wait before booking?
We Australians like to think of ourselves as relaxed, easygoing, with a generous dollop of larrikinism thrown in, but we can be a cautious bunch when it comes to travel. In the current circumstances that’s understandable. Covid-19 has forced a rethink of our priorities.
Insights into the nation’s travel psyche were revealed at News Corp’s Future of Travel forum in Sydney this week. Australians now see travel as a need, not a want, and won’t take it for granted again. We want to be immersed in nature and we’re keen to go all-out on indulgence. Almost 60 per cent of us are “just a nudge away” from diving back in. As the world slowly gets back on track, hope is the dominant emotion, and the largest segment of the population can be described as “hopeful pragmatists”. They are positive about travel, but are uncertain about committing; they say things like “I’m holding off for now”. But how long should they wait before booking?
Our geographic isolation has shielded us from the worst of the pandemic but perhaps it’s also created a psychological barrier to the idea of venturing overseas again. We’re relatively safe here at home, after all. The pace of the vaccination rollout isn’t helping our travel aspirations either. More than 4 million Australians have had at least one jab but only 2 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated. Compare that with the US (41 per cent), and Britain (38 per cent). We’ll need to get a move on to reach the goal of being fully inoculated by the end of the year.
Then there’s the question of availability. A large proportion of travellers who handed over cash in 2019 for an overseas trip scheduled for last year have bumped their departure dates into 2022, even 2023. That doesn’t leave much room for people who’ve only just noticed the light at the end of Covid’s tunnel and decided a cruise or guided tour might be nice next year. American and European travellers have a significant jump on us on this front.
Take the international cruise market. This month, Celebrity Edge will become the first cruise ship to sail from US waters in more than a year. Holland America Line and Silversea are restarting Alaska itineraries in July, as is Norwegian Cruise Line the following month. In September, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will wave off the first of its ships to resume sailing in Europe and the US. Oceania will weigh anchor in October. Uniworld kicks off river cruising this month in Italy, while Viking will begin taking passengers along Europe’s waterways from July.
It’s going to get busy out there in the big wide world when it reopens. Those hopeful pragmatists had better be patient too. They may have to wait to get the berth they’d hoped for.