MIXED BAG FOR 2015, BUT FUTURE PROMISING

AS we all prepare for the year ahead and launch into what I am sure will be a big year for the travel industry, a moment to reflect on the terrorism events in Sydney and Paris is necessary. Both events were dreadful and an unwelcome reminder that we still live in a time in which events such as these do still happen. For tourists across the globe this plays into their minds when making decisions to travel and I think this will have some impact on the 2015 travel year. Coupled with the lagging Aussie dollar sitting around US$0.80 which is struggling to improve consumer confidence, we may have a year of mixed desires when it comes to booking travel. I don’t believe that these factors will cause a significant drop in Australians’ intention to travel overseas, but it may influence their decisions on destinations, length of stay, and make them take a moment to think more about what they want to do. A fascinating time of war will be remembered this year. Gallipoli 2015 is going to be a very significant time for Australia, New Zealand and Turkey, along with many other countries. But for Australia there has been a lot of planning and a lot of discussion. A great deal of arrangements are already in place but there is bound to be a building of interest as the year draws closer to the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli. Australians travelling to Gallipoli will, for the most part, already have their plans set. But as with all events of this magnitude there is always interest and I have no doubt that the travel industry will see an increased interest in this event over the months ahead. Adding to this, media coverage in the lead up to the event will bring with it interest in the general area and more broadly, Europe. This year we will also have two state elections; Queensland at the end of January and NSW in late March. Elections always have an impact on travel decisions. Fortunately the QLD election will be done and dusted early in the year so the impact should be less painful, but with the NSW election set for March it will be interesting to see if this influences consumers’ decisions to travel. All sides of state politics are now committed to the new regulatory settings including ATAS, and AFTA continues to work with all sides of government in all states to seek further funding to educate consumers and market the benefits of using an ATAS accredited travel agent. We will continue on this quest over the coming months leading into and beyond the election cycles. So my 2015 prediction is that the travel industry will have a strong year, with several facts influencing consumer’s intentions and decisions. I hope for everyone that 2015 is a successful and prosperous year.