The federal government has announced a 1.2b tourism package to support Australian aviation and smaller regional destinations. The deal will see approximately 800,000 (550,000 of those will be sold by Qantas & Jetstar) airfares reduced in price by 50% to entice people to get out there and experience what Australia has to offer.
Virgin Australia Chief Executive Officer Jayne Hrdlicka today welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement, saying: “We have so many amazing tourism destinations right here in Australia, and this program enables irresistible prices that will get Australians out exploring the multitude of historically relevant, interesting and beautiful places we are lucky enough to have in our domestic backyard. There really has never been a better time to fly.”
Where Can You Go?
All routes on offer are interstate, except for flights between Kangaroo Island and Adelaide. For airlines to be eligible for the support, the route they offer needs to have been in place for 2 years; this means Rex is out of the race, and tickets will be divided between Virgin Australia, Qantas and Jet Star.
When Do Tickets Go On Sale?
The discounted airfares will go on sale starting April until the end of July for travel up until the end of September 2021. Prices will be based on the average fare the airlines advertised in February 2021 on the same routes, which should prevent any price hikes.
South Australia Sale (Qantas)
As part of a separate campaign in partnership with the South Australian Tourism Commission, Qantas has just launched a sale to Adelaide, which ends March 18th. Fares from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra start from $99 one way.
Summing Up
Overall this is a great initiative to support domestic tourism and the aviation sector who have been hit hard. That said, it makes me wonder if people will be confident enough in their state leaders who are just a touch to trigger happy when it comes to shutting borders. The idea of a compulsory 14 day quarantine period after a weekend trip to another state is somewhat off-putting.
