Like an expertly thrown boomerang, Australia’s tourism prospects appear to be arcing back with long-awaited reunions with friends and relatives now giving way to bucket list ticking. 

“Now it’s evident the traditional leisure holiday bookings are coming in. Our trade partners are experiencing very high demand and telling us anecdotally that bookings appear to be longer duration, higher spend,” says Sally Cope, UK and Northern Europe general manager for Tourism Australia. She echoes the destination’s marketing message upon its February reopening, and explains: “You’ve had your wings clipped, now it’s time to go big”. 

Tricia Birmingham, B2B trading director for Dnata Travel Group, says forward sales tripled on the reopening announcement, adding: “Bookings to Australia made with Pure Luxury continued to increase month-on-month since then, with September our strongest month to date, 97% up on 2019 and an average booking value in excess of 30,000!” 

Though she acknowledges some of the price hike does also reflect increased air fares. 

Spend is also up for Audley Travel with Australia back in its top 10. “We’re seeing an average booking value noticeably higher than pre-pandemic levels, partly due to people treating themselves to a once-in-a-lifetime trip after a period of no travel,” notes James Pook, senior product manager for Asia Pacific. 

Australia sales are more sluggish than for other long-haul destinations for Abercrombie & Kent however, with lead-in times lengthening, but chief tour operating officer Kerry Golds says the strong VFR market helps offset reticence. “We have many clients who will want to visit family and then tag on a holiday,” she explains. 

Inspiring Travel expects 2022/23 to be its “best year on record” for the destination and credits Tourism Australia’s marketing activity with some of the impetus. 

Cope reassures that the marketing momentum will continue in order to give airlines the confidence to build back capacity. “By the end of this year we’re looking at about 63% of what it was pre-covid, so as a tourism board we’re not sitting back and just watching this demand,” she says, adding that air fares have reached a “tipping point”. 

In common with most long-haul destinations, reduced post-pandemic capacity coupled with the fuel hike fallout from the war in Ukraine is making Australia’s air fares a sticking point. 

Clients with lower budgets are putting Australia plans on hold, reports Audley, while A&K finds that with the majority of its clients flying business class, the rising air fares are a “real dampener”. However, Golds advises: “We often try to frame it as ‘it’s four very long flights’, so you do feel the value. Very often a return business class flight to Australia will bump someone’s frequent flyer status, which is often a good selling point.” 

Inspiring Travel has another tip for reducing the psychological hurdle. “When packaged together with our itinerary of on-the-ground experiences, the flight price isn’t directly visible to our clients, so it has less impact than if we were selling flight only,” explains David Pointer, senior product manager for Australasia. 

Tourism Australia’s UK marketing commitment continues with a major mainstream campaign called “Say G’day” launched in October with actor Rose Byrne voicing an animated toy kangaroo.

Campaign trail 

Upscale campaigns are in the pipeline too, as Cope explains: “So much of it is around storytelling, so when we start specifically targeting the luxury traveller, we do media partnerships and a lot more long-form content where people can learn about the product and the experience.” 

Recent George Clooney and Julia Roberts movie Ticket to Paradise could help too. Supposedly set in Bali, it was actually filmed in Queensland, with much of the action unfolding at Whitsundays hotel Qualia. 

Year-round agent training concentrates on the Aussie Specialist scheme, which includes luxury modules. Luxury travel will also be the focus for TTG’s multi-day Aussie Fest event in March, when agents will be able to meet a host of suppliers online and be immersed in cultural activities. 

Cope advises luxury agents to look to the Signature Experiences of Australia range of collectives, which showcase quality bookable product, developed in partnership with Tourism Australia. The eight groups now include Luxury Lodges of Australia, Great Walks, Ultimate Winery Experiences, Discover Aboriginal Experiences (born in part from strong UK market demand), and new Cultural Attractions of Australia. The latter offers the opportunity to book a walk-on part in a performance at Sydney Opera House. 

Cope explains: “It’s peppering itineraries with these really special experiences, which gives the agent more earning potential but also the ability to provide much more in-depth immersive itineraries, which their client’s going to love.” 

With UK repeat visitation at 60%, she advises not to treat Australia as a one-off destination either, but to “home in on a region and do it properly.” The vastness of the country is something she also says to stress in relation to any concerns over the recent floods.

Private picks 

Australia’s tourism industry hasn’t slumbered over the pandemic and there’s an array of exciting new product to sell. A recent trend is the addition of private villas within the grounds of luxury lodges. Among these are Dairy Flat Lodge by Lake House in Victoria farmland and The House on Lizard Island, set on its own white sand peninsula. Such accommodation is expected to particularly appeal for reunion travel.