VACATIONERS are snapping up travel bargains to Antarctica in droves, as the Australian Government prepares to roll out the coronavirus vaccines, with Hurtigruten witnessing a renewed surge in consumer confidence in international travel. However, Hurtigruten Managing Director Asia Pacific Damian Perry said the Government’s messages need to be more well-considered,...
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VACATIONERS are snapping up travel bargains to Antarctica in droves, as the Australian Government prepares to roll out the coronavirus vaccines, with Hurtigruten witnessing a renewed surge in consumer confidence in international travel.
However, Hurtigruten Managing Director Asia Pacific Damian Perry said the Government’s messages need to be more well-considered, after Department of Health Secretary Brendan Murphy claimed borders will remain closed until next year.
Perry said the rhetoric and tone of messages similar to Murphy’s will continue to drive a nail into the coffin of both local domestic & international tour operators, as well as wholesalers and retailers.
“At the same time, we do see the repercussions of the poorly timed, unclear and inconsistent communication from policymakers and senior politicians and health advisors,” Perry said.
He added the messaging was not considering the personal wellbeing of travellers who need to move for business, family or leisure reasons, nor did it reflect the economic importance of tourism, which was a $152 billion industry in 2019, and a key driver of Australia’s economy, employing around one-in-19 Australians.
Fortunately, the comments have not stopped Hurtigruten reporting strong bookings for travel for later this year, and into the next.
A large amount of travellers are viewing the coldest continent as hot property, with nearly 80% of bookings in the last quarter of last year going to Antarctica, even exceeding those seen in 2019.
“These bookings are significant as they have originated from new clientele and new bookings — not re-bookings,” Perry enthused.
“We’re still waiting to witness the full impact of COVID-19 vaccinations currently being rolled out globally.
“Strong end-of-year bookings in 2020 — that exceed those of the previous year — suggest travellers are buoyed with optimism that they’ll be able to travel again in the near future.”
To capitalise on consumer sentiment, Hurtigruten recently launched its New Year Global Expedition Sale on cruises from 2021-2023 (CW 15 Jan).
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