Turning The Travel Tables On Mr Scrooge
AS WE count down to the end of another year, it’s only natural to reflect on the events that have shaped 2023.
For mine, policemen continue to get younger, music continues to get louder and the year seems to fly by like a Japanese bullet train on steroids. I swear I only packed the Christmas tree away last week….?
But I digress. Back to the year that was.
The pest that is COVID refuses to go quietly into the night (I’ve just had my third dose of its malevolent malaise) and we seem destined to have it in our lives for the foreseeable future.
Our national airline encountered severe turbulence following a series of unfortunate, headline-inducing gaffes and miscalculations. Vanessa Hudson is trying to steady the ship but 2024 will be another challenging year.
The cost of living was a major talking point this year and the knock-on effect it had on the travel industry. People are obviously less likely to book an overseas holiday when (a) the price of an air ticket is astronomical and (b) the price of bananas is similarly insane.
Fortunately, it must be hoped that as more airplanes come back into service, that will help ease the former problem. Although with the current uncertainty in the Middle East, the price of jet fuel may still be cause for concern.
On a positive note, Australia’s cruise season is going gangbusters and the sector is making up for some seriously lost time. Virgin and Disney have both made triumphant debuts Down Under and cruising as a travel medium can surely only grow and grow.
The recent National Travel Industry Awards were also a triumphant success, with 1,300 people rocking the Crown Melbourne (see our event report in this issue).
Although this correspondent was prevented from attending by the aforementioned virus, reports from the dance floor were unanimously positive, once again highlighting the positivity currently pulsating through the industry.
I witnessed this first-hand when I was invited to attend the recent Travellers Choice conference on the Gold Coast. There was a palpable sense of optimism among the delegates attending that the “good times” were just around the corner. (If you haven’t seen it yet, check out MD Christian Hunter’s amazing live adaptation of Wonderwall on our digital channels.)
While a lack of skilled, properly trained staff might put a slight handbrake on a full-speed recovery in 2024, steps are being taken across all branches of the industry to expediate an influx of new talent.
This is to be both applauded and encouraged as the agents currently trying to manage the load deserve to see reinforcements galloping over the horizon.
So, as we draw a veil over 2023 and prepare to spank the newly born bottom of 2024, what does the future look like for the Australian travel industry?
Most reports from the front line say we’re either already back to pre-COVID levels or will be early in the New Year.
Agent’s report “revenge travel” is alive and well (despite inflationary pressures) and that 2024 could really see the industry kick on to levels hitherto inconceivable 12 to 24 months ago.
All of which makes for a great Christmas present for an industry that has been well and truly ‘Scrooged’ for the past few years.
