Gold Coast travel industry bounces back

According to the Australia-based travel management company FCM Consulting, the Gold Coast is forecast to exceed pre-Covid-19 levels of inward and outbound travel by the end of the year. Since domestic and international borders reopened, 21 February, visitors to the Australian city have significantly increased for both business and leisure. Felicity Burke, general manager of FCM Consulting, who presented the findings of the report at FCM’s recent inaugural hybrid Th!nk event, recently, stated: “The city has seen an upward trajectory ever since the impact of the Commonwealth Games and you only need to look at the investment and infrastructure taking place to know this is going to be a key and influential business hub for many years to come. “Five routes are forecast to exceed pre-Covid-19 levels in and out of Australia by the end of 2022. Four of these routes are between Singapore and our largest state capitals (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth), with the fifth being between Sydney and the City of Angels.” It is predicted that these routes will change as Covid-19 restrictions are eased globally. As Hong Kong and China open, this offers alternative routes to Europe and other parts of the world. Burke added: “We also need to factor in that the northern hemisphere is coming into summer – peak season – so over the coming months travelling out of Australia and New Zealand into Europe and North America is going to be extremely popular. With fewer seats available, prices will likely be higher than usual.”