Flight Centre cites cruising demand

ABOUT one in five Flight Centre clients is hoping to take a cruise once there is a relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, according to a customer sentiment survey released by the company during its annual general meeting yesterday.

Managing Director Graham Turner told investors the recent poll of Flight Centre’s Australian leisure customers confirmed the significant pent-up demand for travel across the globe.

The answers to the question “once restrictions are lifted, which travel type are you considering booking in the next 12 months” indicated that 58% of customers hope to travel internationally and 52% want to take an interstate trip.

Just over 8% said they were considering booking a domestic cruise, while 9.4% of respondents said they wanted to take an international voyage.

Only 3.6% of Flight Centre’s clientele said they were not planning to travel in the first 12 months after restrictions ease.

Responding to questions during the annual general meeting, Turner confirmed Flight Centre’s 2022/23 cruise booking levels had returned to normal levels.

He also said Flight Centre was meeting with governments on both sides of the Tasman to get the current ban on cruising lifted.

“There is general agreement from health authorities on what is safe domestically; cruise lines such as a 6,000-berth MSC ship have been operating in the Mediterranean over the past couple of months with no major COVID-19 issues,” Turner said.

“Cruising is safe now if they stick to the protocols,” he added.