Bookings slump hits European destinations
SYDNEY – Amadeus has revealed that both international and domestic air travel bookings made through travel agencies in Australia remain down by around 12 percent compared to 2008 bookings.
Globally, European destinations have been worst hit, suffering a 25 percent drop.
Only one region experienced an increase in travellers, with the Middle East and Africa attracting eight percent more Australian visitors.
South America had the least impact, with a decline of only one per cent, whilst North America has seen bookings slump 22 per cent. Asia Pacific is down 12 percent.
“These are some very sobering figures for the Australian travel industry,†said David Brett, president of Amadeus Asia Pacific.
“Clearly the financial crisis and corresponding drop in consumer confidence is having a significant impact on Australians’ willingness to travel.â€
Whilst bookings are down across the board, business class is in the sharpest decline, dropping 36 per cent.
Surprisingly, first class bookings in Australia have actually seen a very slight increase of almost 2.5 per cent – possibly due to the inelasticity of this traveller group to downgrade, and the introduction of new first-class product in the form of A380 aircraft.
Despite the continued downturn in international travel overall, long-haul travel started to show signs of recovery in April while short haul travel (trans-Tasman) continued to fall.
“The ongoing drop in passenger bookings across the board obviously has a significant economic impact for the travel industry, but we are seeing some signs of hope with long-haul travel numbers improving in April.
“However, the big picture remains pretty bleak, and it’s little wonder that airlines and travel agencies are looking to maximise efficiencies in their operations and reduce operating costs,†said Brett.
Ian Jarrett
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