Priceless spin-off to royals

THE Will and Kate effect has sparked a business boost for tourism operators, who are reaping the rewards of the ­recent royal tour.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Duchess Kate watch on as the sunsets on Uluru. . Picture Gregg Porteous

THE Will and Kate effect has sparked a business boost for tourism operators, who are reaping the rewards of the ­recent royal tour.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s highly-publicised visit to Australia in April with baby George has created a sustained spike in web traffic to tourism sites since and an increase in bookings by British travellers.

Prince William and his wife Catherine showcased some of our country’s most famous tourist attractions – Sydney Harbour and the Opera House, the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains and Uluru – during their 10-day tour.

Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said the international exposure had resulted in daily inquiries to Australia.com increasing by up to 125 per cent when the royals were here.

Mr O’Sullivan said exposure from the British royal couple’s visit – estimated to have cost taxpayers more than $2 million – had been priceless.

“I have no doubt that we’re going to see a positive impact on visitor arrivals, especially from the US and the UK, two of our largest-volume and most valuable traditional markets,” he said.

UK-based tourism operator Austravel said that during the royals’ tour, they received a new inquiry every seven minutes from holiday-makers eager to emulate the royals.

And the calls keep coming.

Austravel has recorded a surge of booking inquiries, with a 120 per cent increase from last year.

“The Kate Middleton effect strikes again, but this time it’s not the latest dress the nation is after, it’s a holiday. We have seen a huge demand from travellers looking to replicate that of the recent royal tour,” general manager Karen Joyce said.

“Following what looked to be a wonderful trip by Kate and Wills, it’s no surprise the nation is looking to wave goodbye to the grey British weather and soak up some Australian sunshine.”

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