Australians are well known to be good travellers. Living so far away from almost everyone else it's no surprise and prompts a desire to explore different countries and cultures. However, with Covid-19 stopping all travel, even interstate, for a while and certainly internationally for the foreseeable future, the Australian domestic market has an opportunity to encourage Australians with itchy feet to further explore their own country.
In 2019, 117.4 million domestic visitors spent a record AUD80.7 billion with the average visitor spending four nights away and AUD193 per night. International tourism in 2019 added an additional AUD45.4 billion so there is some way for the domestic market to make up the difference.
While borders and restrictions has started to ease in many of Australia's states and territories, over the last few weeks against a backdrop of rising Covid-19 infections they have started to be reintroduced. It looks set to be a long time until it is business as usual. The limited travel options does though start to open the door to economic recovery. But, travellers' safety and therefore confidence is, like the rest of the world, the main areas of concern which need to be addressed to enable Australians to feel happy enough to get out and explore.
This will be a key discussion point at the forthcoming CAPA Australia Pacific 2020 Aviation Summit , this year debuting a new virtual format due to the current environment. As the foremost authority on aviation in the world, CAPA's events provide cutting edge knowledge about strategic market trends and dynamics to help attendees make informed decisions, delivering the information and connections needed to inspire and improve business.
The CAPA Australia Pacific 2020 Aviation Summit will take place online on 2 September 2020 with around five hours of content. This Summit will provide a critical platform for some of the most esteemed thought-leaders in the aviation and travel industry to share their insights and perspectives on our road to recovery, not only for the Australia Pacific region but also the entire world.
Among them appearing as part of the virtual event are Alan Joyce, group CEO, Qantas Airways; Paul Scurrah, CEO & MD, Virgin Australia; Tadashi Fujita, director, vice chairman, Japan Airlines; Campbell Wilson, CEO, Scoot; Phillipa Harrison, managing director, Tourism Australia; Geoff Culbert, CEO, Sydney Airport; plus Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, minister for trade, tourism and investment, Australian Government and John Hart, executive chair, Australian Chamber - Tourism.
The CAPA Australia Pacific 2020 Aviation Summit will follow the themes of recovery, resilience and reconnection.
Recovery - according to analysis from the World Travel & Tourism Council on previous major viral epidemics, the average recovery time for people returning to travel was 19.4 months. However, the organisation believes that with the right response and management, recovery could begin to show in as little as 10 months. With a flattening 'curve', progressive lifting of restrictions, government support and a sound domestic market in the Australia Pacific region - such swift recovery could prove to be a reality.
Resilience - the summit aims to take stock of the aviation industry and will provide a CAPA Global Outlook Masterclass led by CAPA's own Chairman Emeritus, Peter Harbison. Followed by robust discussions and lively debates, the summit will seek answers to some of the crucial questions surrounding the future of Australian tourism, notably how it can rebuild its domestic market? How can regional airlines and airports manage expected growth? Will the trans-Tasman and other 'travel' bubbles be the saving grace of the tourism industry? How will sustainability initiatives change in the post Covid-19 world?
Reconnection - all delegates will also be awarded with the invaluable networking opportunities that are accustomed to all CAPA Summits, as well as virtual interactive one-on-ones, focus groups and hosted roundtables. Utilising the power of Grip, CAPA will deliver AI-powered event networking solutions.
FIND OUT MORE… visit the CAPA Australia Pacific 2020 Aviation Summit homepage to find out more about this not-to-be-missed opportunity to discuss relevant issues impacting the aviation sector and learn meaningful insights from your industry peers through this new and exciting virtual attendance and networking option.
