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Domestic and international travel is rising steadily – with international short-term outbound now having reached about two-thirds of the 2019 level – and travel agents are getting plenty of exposure thanks to efforts by AFTA.

Last week’s TravelManagers national conference in Sydney left no doubt about the growing demand for travel. Gavin Smith, managing director of Australia and New Zealand for Royal Caribbean International, told the conference that between 75 and 80 ships were on order through 2027, including 40 with more than 1000 berths, a 15% fleet increase. Some 15 million additional berths would be added worldwide by 2027, representing 50% capacity growth.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in the month of July 2022, 662,480 Australian residents departed on short-term trips overseas. That was 65% of the 1,025,800 who departed in the same month in 2019, the last year unaffected by Covid. Numbers are rising steadily, month by month.

Interviewed by ABC News Radio last week, AFTA chief executive Dean Long conceded that many international airfares were much higher than before the pandemic. The reasons included a shortage of capacity and the soaring cost of aviation fuel. The latter affects all fuel and is noticeable when fuelling the family car.

Long said that as pandemic restrictions eased, Fiji had emerged as a favourite overseas travel destination. The most resilient sectors travelling were corporate travellers, people attending vital family events such as weddings, and affluent travellers making long-haul, bucket-list trips to Europe.

MEANWHILE, AFTA’s ongoing strategy to ensure mainstream media showcase the value and importance of Australia’s travel businesses has secured some major stories recently.

News Corp Australia’s ongoing support of Australia’s travel sector and NTIA 2022 has seen Escape.com.au and the Escape Sunday liftout recently share top tips and insights from several AFTA members across 12 articles including:

What’s the best economy seat on a plane and how do you get it?

Is it cheaper to book airfares through a travel agent?

Genius hotel room hack you need to know

News Corp Australia’s competition to find Australia’s Favourite Travel Agency is now live at escape.com.au. Readers are asked to nominate their favourite ATAS accredited travel agency in 100 words or less to win some incredible prizes. The winner will be announced at NTIA on 15 October 2022.

Media coverage of ATAS members that AFTA has secured over the past week also includes national radio, The Guardian and BBC World News.

“AFTA’s media roster is getting a great workout at the moment as AFTA continues to promote the importance of travel professionals as more and more Australians get back into travel,” Long commented.

“AFTA, with the support of our media and PR agency Alpha Consult, is active every day across a range of issues, pitching our sector and our members as expert commentators on the reality, opportunities and challenges we face.

“We also continue to create media opportunities for our members at a local, national and even international level. In the last week alone, we’ve had members provide advice on everything from cruise tips through to global coverage on Australians getting to London in time for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.”