Cut-price deals to lure Aussie domestic travellers
With Australians being urged to holiday at home this year to help the ailing tourism industry, one travel firm is offering huge reductions on flights and accommodation.
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Australians are being urged to holiday at home this year, but industry stakeholders say unless they turn out in droves with money to burn, it may have little impact on the ailing tourism industry.
For every international visitor lost due to coronavirus travel bans, seven-and- a-half domestic tourists are needed to fill the economic hole gouged out by COVID-19.
Even in the best of times, Australian tourists spend less than their international counterparts, but amid national economic uncertainty, tourism operators are having to offer big discounts to lure Australians to their doorsteps.
“The government commentary at the moment is that we’ll be okay because the domestic tourism is going to replace international, but we don’t think that’s the case,” Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Peter Shelley told AAP.
“No matter what you do, the domestic tourism spend will never replace the $45 billion internationals spend when they visit this country.”
The easing of social restrictions has prompted a rise in searches for flights to domestic destinatopm, with Aussie holiday-makers looking for local getaways.
In a bid to boost domestic tourism, Aussie travel firm Webjet is offering 20 per cent off domestic packages, covering flights and accommodation.
The sale ends on Thursday, June 25 and is valid for travel between July 15 and October 31, 2020. This includes the September school holiday period.
Webjet OTA CEO David Galt said the firm’s data showed searches by Australian for flights to domestic detinatins had soared by 68 per cent.
“We anticipate this upwards spike to grow stronger as state borders begin to open,” he said. “So many communities around Australia have been hit hard by the bushfires and then the travel restrictions, and one of the best ways to support this recovery effort is visit, eat and stay local.
“This sale is one of the biggest Webjet has launched in recent years and it even includes travel during the September school holidays.
“This means that everyone, especially families, can book incredible deals during what is traditionally a more expensive time to travel.”
Meanwhile, international travel could take years to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and passengers will be much more selective when choosing a long-haul carriers, a major airline boss says.
Qatar Airways chief strategy and transformation officer Thierry Antinori told The Australian the rebound “will take years”.
“People will be more conscious about the reliability of the airline that they use. There’s a lot more cautiousness to flying and we need airlines that provide good service to customers. Customers want reliability,” Mr Antinori told The Australian.
Qatar Airways repatriated thousands of Australians during the pandemic while other airlines were grounded. In April, it was the single biggest carrier into Australia, operating 44.5 per cent of flights.
“We flew continuously during the crisis,” said Mr Antinori, who was previously CEO of Austrian Airlines and chief commercial officer of Emirates Airlines.
“I think people will remember us for that. Other airlines are (now) trying to restart but it is very difficult.
“Australia has been the most important market for us during COVID-19 and we are thankful they allowed us to fly into Brisbane. For us it’s important to do the best for the customer and the trade.”
QANTAS CANCELS ALL OVERSEAS FLIGHTS UNTIL LATE OCTOBER
Qantas has cancelled international flights until late October except for services to New Zealand.
The decision comes after federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said Australia’s border for overseas travel would likely reopen next year. Qantas signalled flights could resume if travel between Australia and other countries opened up.
“With Australia’s borders set to remain closed for some time, we have cancelled most international flights until late October,” a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement.
“We still have some flights scheduled across the Tasman in the coming months, with the expected travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand.
“Should travel between Australia and other countries open up and demand returns, we can add more flights back into our schedule.”
On Wednesday Mr Birmingham encouraged Australians to holiday domestically, with international travel forbidden for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus threat.
He said the government might eventually look at short-term overseas travel to countries other than New Zealand that have similar success in suppressing coronavirus.
“I do, sadly, think that in terms of open tourist-related travel in or out of Australia, that remains quite some distance off, just because of the practicalities of the volumes that are involved and the need for us to first and foremost keep putting health first,” he told the National Press Club.
Asked whether that was more likely to resume next year, he said ” I think that is more likely the case”.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WARNING AS AUSSIES URGED TO HOLIDAY LOCALLY
Australians have been urged to holiday at home in a bid to boost the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the multibillion-dollar tourism industry.
With international travel off the table for the foreseeable future, Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said Australians should feel “an almost patriotic duty” to holiday domestically in order to help support jobs and small businesses.
Mr Birmingham said holiday-makers spent $65.2 billion on international travel last year.
But with Australians presently banned from taking off overseas, he hoped they would use this time “to travel across our magical continent”.
“For those Australians who can afford to do so, we want them to feel an almost patriotic duty to get out and support the jobs and small businesses of their fellow citizens by having whatever Aussie holiday they can,” Mr Birmingham said.
“There’s still nothing like Australia for adventure, nature, food and wine, outdoor experiences and vibrant cities”.
He said Australia would ‘return strongly’ to international markets in due course, with international tourism injecting about $45 billion into the domestic economy each year.
“Where possible, we will not only be drawing tourists back with our incredible experiences but also with our strong health system and reputation as a nation that is safe, open and welcoming,” he said.
But he warned that international flights would not open back up for Australians any time soon.
He said keeping international borders shut for now was “the price we have to pay” for keeping the COVID-19 pandemic under control.
“That means international border restrictions are likely to be there for some time to come. We will progressively and carefully step through what we can do to reopen,” he said.
But he warned there was one key step that could be taken to see those international borders opened up faster with some key COVID-safe countries like New Zealand.
“I hope we can see that advance and it will happen faster if Australian states open up to each other faster as well,” Senator Birmingham said.
“If we can do those things, well, then, we may be able to have discussions about other parameters, for other longer stay visitors or targeted streams of individuals from nations.”
South Australia yesterday announced it would reopen its borders to people from Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania from today.
Queensland is expected to reopen to interstate visitors from July 10, midway through the NSW school holidays.
But as domestic borders reopen, the Federal Government recently extended its international travel ban. It was due to expire on June 17 but has now been extended until September 17.
Mr Birmingham also said that Indigenous tourism would become a bigger priority, adding that
“the stories of the oldest living culture in the world should be anchored in the experiences our nation shares with cultural tourists from around the world.”
Originally published as Cut-price deals to lure Aussie domestic travellers
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