Gallivanter Travel thrives as NQ travellers fuel a boom in luxurious adventures
Townsville’s travel expo revealed a post-pandemic wanderlust that was driving big-ticket bookings, with locals splashing cash on luxuries like $290,000 private jet trips.
North Queenslanders have caught the travel bug and are making up for time lost during the pandemic, shelling out big bucks to travel in style to exotic international locations, with some spending up to hundreds of thousands on private jets.
Townsville-founded travel agency Gallivanter Travel welcomed a stampede of 1200 aspiring adventurers through the doors of Rydges Southbank last Saturday for its 2025 Travel and Cruise Expo, which revealed several emerging travel trends.
With 38 years experience in the industry, Gallivanter Travel owner/ manager Debbie Rains was blown away by the event’s success, which generated 400 qualified inquiries including big ticket bookings ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
“There were even inquiries on Abercrombie and Kent private jets, which are about $290,000 per person. So you just go, ‘woah’,” Ms Rains said.
“And that’s in Townsville, there’s people here who love to travel and just love the experience.
“People are not putting off doing experiences, bucket-list items, or celebrating major events or spending time with family like what probably was happening a lot in the past.”
Ms Rains identified several key trends reshaping the industry, including significant growth in premium economy and business class bookings, and surging interest in luxury cruising with small ship operators and boutique hotel-branded yachts from Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons.
Popular destinations include Canada, Northern Lights experiences, Africa, the “Five Stans” (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and surrounding countries), and Sri Lanka, though US travel has declined due to political tensions and border control concerns.
Ms Rains was pleased to see predictions about the demise of face-to-face travel agencies due to the rise of online bookings being proven wrong, saying in-person contact and advice was still appreciated by customers.
After being forced to consolidate her Townsville businesses during the pandemic into one CBD office, Ms Rains made the strategic decision to leave the Flight Centre Travel Group franchise in April 2024.
The decision has paid off, paving the way for Gallivanters expansion into the Fairfield Central shopping centre, which has received an “overwhelmingly positive response” since opening on November 18 – following a $250,000 refit of the space.
“We’ve had a lot of people in and some good-sized reservations and new people coming into the store, so new to our brand.
“We’re really excited about it, and it was really good working with the Fairfield Central shopping centre team – they’re much easier to deal with.”
Lancini Property Group marketing manager Rhianna Klemenc was thrilled to have Gallivanter fill a void in the shopping centre which had existed since Flight Centre exited several years ago.
“They bring a personalised, local service to our diverse customer base, reinforcing our focus on supporting local businesses and keeping services close to home,” she said.
For more information, visit: gallivantertravel.com.au.
Originally published as Gallivanter Travel thrives as NQ travellers fuel a boom in luxurious adventures
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