Tourism Industry Executive: Australia’s high air ticket prices affect industry recovery | Tourism Industry | Australia | Expensive

[The Epoch Times, November 18, 2023](Epoch Times reporter Xia Chujun compiled and reported from Sydney, Australia) Travel agencies, the cruise industry and tour operators said that Australia’s air ticket prices remain high and are damaging this multi-billion dollar industry after the epidemic. recovery.

This week, a senior executive from US premium tour operator Tauck and Norwegian Cruise Line executives expressed concerns about high airfares in Australia.

According to the “Daily Telegraph” report, Australia’s most influential tourism executive and Flight Center CEO Graham Turner also expressed his views on this ongoing problem. He predicted that air ticket prices will rise next year. will still be very expensive.

Turner told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting this week that he was concerned about a lack of air capacity between Australia and Europe via the Middle East.

“One of the biggest obstacles to economic recovery so far is the lack of air capacity and competition…” he said.

When asked on November 16 whether high costs and insufficient capacity were hindering the recovery of the tourism industry, Turner said that this was indeed the case.

“…the number of people entering Australia is only half of what it was before the pandemic, and a lot of that is due to lack of capacity and expensive air tickets,” he said.

“The Australian tourism industry is really affected by the lack of capacity. From a Flight Center perspective, we need cheaper air tickets, whether it is business travel or leisure travel.”

“Affordable air tickets are very important to the success of the travel industry.”

International arrivals data for September 2023 released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that compared with September 2019, the tourist arrival rate was 84%, with returning tourists mainly coming from New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and China.

But Turner believes airfares around the world are also expensive, even for transpacific flights.

“Capacity to Europe is very limited,” he said.

“The Middle East is a major route for Australia, with current capacity at about 70% of its pre-pandemic levels.”

“Singapore will have more flights to Europe in April (next year), but unless the government allows more airlines to increase flights, air tickets to Europe will be very expensive in the middle of (next year).”

The fares for mainstream flights from airlines such as Qatar, Singapore and Emirates will be very expensive in the middle of next year, with economy class round-trip fares ranging from 2,500 yuan to 3,500 yuan to 4,000 yuan.

Jason Krimmel, vice president of international business at Norwegian Cruise Line, said cruise bookings are very hot and the company is very optimistic about bookings in 2024 and 2025, but Australia’s performance is constrained by high ticket prices and flight capacity. .

In addition, Steve Spivak, Tauck’s vice president of global sales and reservations, said that insufficient air capacity has undoubtedly hindered Australians from traveling abroad.

“Whether you are traveling into Australia or outbound, air transport capacity is a challenge,” he said.

“Post-pandemic, people won’t be deterred from traveling…(but) we have to be able to get people to their destinations in a way that represents great value.”

Editor in charge: Yang Fan

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