Tourism is back with a vengeance but rising inflation and interest rates are threatening the spending power of many travellers.
The last 12 months have proven travel is an unstoppable force, says Paul Hutton, the Australasian head of hotel behemoth Hilton.Many buildings were lit up on 24-26 Feb and 3-5 March to coincide with Sydney WorldPride events, which brought a wave of tourists.
His hope is international visitor numbers will keep rising, but that depends on airlines increasing flight capacity into Australia.Hutton says there is a wave of international visitors coming, and the likes ofand events such as the Melbourne GP are proving to be a boon, but numbers are not rising as quickly as he would like.
“These meetings were an important opportunity to discuss how quickly we can strengthen aviation capacity to Australia, as a strong aviation environment had been key to the growth of the China market,” Harrison says.Advertisement“Furthermore, a recent survey found more than 90 per cent of Chinese consumers would rather spend on experiences such as travelling, rather than property and cars.”
Paradoxically, while we’re all supposedly looking for a bargain, Harrison says “a renaissance of indulgence is upon us”.“Indulgence doesn’t necessarily have to mean a big expensive holiday though – it can mean something new, and it can mean short bursts of extravagance. So that could be, during a holiday on budget, splashing out on experiences, food and wine, a spa visit, or moments of luxury, to give a visceral sense of gratification,” Harrison says.
Coupled with consumers buying 4WDs to tow their vans, Wilckens says people feel committed to get out and use them.
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