Ex Virgin, Qantas execs form new tourism venture
Two former airline foes are joining hands to form a new Australian tourism venture.
The former Qantas boss Geoff Dixon has teamed up with ex Virgin chief Brett Godfrey to establish Australian Walking Company (AWC).
Focusing on adventure tourism, including walking and hiking, AWC is backed by the Tasmanian Walking Company, of which Godfrey is part owner.
Dixon said the business aims to raise awareness of Australia as a domestic walking destination.
"The walks we have here are fantastic but Australia’s a big country and there’s room to develop more high-end walking opportunities, including in NSW," said Dixon.
"We know that 70,000 Australians annually choose to walk overseas, so we want to change that mindset and capture the imagination of inbound adventure seekers too."
AWC is considering launching high-end walking tours in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Northern Territory and Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
Despite being fierce rivals in the airline business many years ago, Dixon says the partnership with Godrey is a perfect match.
"With the Tasmanian Walking Company, Brett’s already a co-owner of two of the eight ‘Great Walks of Australia’, and I knew from three years together on the board of Tourism Australia that we’d work well together."
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