Sydney, 26 March 2003 – Short haul travel is on the rise, according to travelling patterns released this week by Flairview Travel. Flairview Travel, operator of the online accommodation booking websites – HotelClub.net and RatesToGo.com – have released booking statistics from 2003. As anticipated, there has been a steady increase in regional bookings made on both websites since the commencement of war in Iraq.
To date daily booking numbers have not been affected by the conflict instead daily bookings have increased by as much as 16 per cent per day.
Ms Chloe Lim, Head of Sales and Marketing for Flairview Travel said, “We consistently monitor travelling patterns and have noticed that travelling numbers have remained strong despite international events. The key difference at the current time is where people are travelling. More and more of our customers are opting to stay closer to home and travelling either domestically or regionally.”
This trend is consistent across Flairview Travel’s markets in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. In Australia, 95 per cent of bookings made from 20 March on HotelClub.com and RatesToGo.com have been to Asian Pacific destinations. Australian domestic travel bookings currently account for over 86 per cent of all bookings.
French booking statistics have also followed this trend with domestic travel strong, up by over 7 per cent since 20 March, and currently accounting for over 55 per cent of all bookings. Over 96 per cent of all French travel bookings are for European destinations.
Within the Asia Pacific region leading destinations have included Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. Both Singapore and Hong Kong have retained their market share in spite of earlier pressure due to the SARS warnings. The region currently accounts for over 55 per cent of all bookings made though HotelClub.net and RatesToGo.com.
According to Ms Lim “These statistics highlight the resilience of Asian travellers who have experienced great international crisis over the past few years. Regional travel is a major part of their life and is a key aspect in both business and leisure.”
A major focus in the long term will be to entice European and American travellers back to Asia Pacific after the conflict.
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For further information please contact:
Chloe Lim
Head of Sales and Marketing
Flairview Travel
Tel: +61 28295 0431
Fax: +61 29299 8860
Email: [email protected]
