Cheap holiday deals help spur APEC Sydney exodus
A report in the Sydney Morning Herald says that almost one-third of Sydneysiders plan to get out of the city for the forum long weekend, but is there anywhere they can go that won’t put a huge hole in the public holiday pay cheque?
Tourism New Zealand television advertisements are encouraging locals to flee the city of the long grey fence for the land of the long white cloud before every traffic light turns red.
Air New Zealand is offering flights from Sydney to Christchurch from $280 return, or to Auckland from $400 return.
The cheapest “Escape APEC” deals are no longer on offer, but there are a range of holiday packages as part of a “spring pass”, including three-night holidays in Christchurch from $169.
Accor Hotels has accommodation for $88 a night, for stays from Friday to Sunday, at participating Novotel, Mercure and Ibis hotels, and Tourism Auckland has a “take a friend for half-price” day-trip pass to Waiheke Island.
But if you are intending to catch a plane, don’t plan on driving to the airport. The motorcades whisking world leaders through the streets before and during the leaders’ weekend from September 7 to 9 are expected to create traffic snarls in the inner south, so the train is the only way to go.
It is enough to make you think about looking for a holiday closer to home, and a number of NSW hotels and resorts are offering discounted packages.
In Dubbo, the Zoofari Lodge is offering an African Safari experience, which includes two days at the Western Plains zoo and accommodation from $199 a night. The Redleaf resort in the Blue Mountains has cut the price of its rooms by $20 in September, with two adults paying $144 a night for bed and breakfast if they stay Friday and Saturday night.
For a slightly more upmarket holiday in the mountains, the Mountain Heritage Hotel is offering accommodation for two nights from $360 a head, including meals, entry to the everglades gardens, and a spa treatment.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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