TravelBulletin for September 2020 - Sorry seems to be the hardest word: Bruce Piper traces the Ruby

SEPTEMBER 2020

TRAVEL DAILY

AWARDS

Honouring travel agents and suppliers for their industry support through COVID-19 More information at awards.traveldaily.com.au

TRAVEL DAILY

AWARDS Travel Daily has seen a massive number of nominations from across the industry for agents and suppliers who have gone above and beyond during this extremely challenging time.

21 Aug nominations open

Nominations have now closed and we have whittled it down to the finalists.

4 Sep finalist voting opens

Vote now for those who you believe have best supported the industry and deserve to be recognised specially for their hard work.

14 Sep finalist voting closes

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O NOT

SEPTEMBER 2020

SORRY

SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

CR OS

S · CR

IM E S

CE N E

?

· DO N

?

OT CR O

SS · C

R IM E S

CE NE ·

DO N O T C RO S

?

S · CR

IM E SC

E

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CONTENTS

12

FEATURES 24 New South Wales Adam Bishop discovers you don’t have to venture too far from Sydney to immerse yourself in nature.

COVER STORY 12 Sorry seems to be the

hardest word The Ruby Princess incident has led to several official inquiries, the demonisation of the cruise industry and a relentless nightafter-night series of negative mainstream media reports about the horrors of cruising.

Bruce Piper traces how it all went so wrong.

MONTHLY 02 State of the industry 08 Issues and trends

24

20 Cruise 26 Last word

COLUMNS 02 From the publisher 06 Steve Jones 08 AFTA View 23 CLIA View

09 This month’s contributors Steve Jones, Joel Katz, Darren Rudd

Front cover: ©Princess Cruises This page bottom right: Experience the TreeTops Walk at Illawarra Fly ©Destination NSW

EDITORIAL Editor in Chief and Publisher – Bruce Piper Editorial and Production Manager – Sarah Beyer Ph: 1300 799 220 or 02 8007 6760 sarah.beyer@traveldaily.com.au

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travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

1

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

From the publisher Bruce Piper

IN BRIEF

2

“THIS is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Those fateful words uttered by Sir Winston Churchill after a 1942 victory in Egypt while Britain was in the depths of World War II may also resonate in our industry’s ongoing battle with COVID-19.

Unless a vaccine is produced – a process which despite US President Trump’s Project Warp Speed is likely to take some years – we need to learn to live with the reality of coronavirus and that also means coming to grips with the political landscape which is clearly highly risk averse.

Whatever some people may think about the seriousness of COVID-19, the ongoing climate of fear is driving our leaders to ever more conservative approaches, and I believe the travel and tourism sector must simply accept that things will not be the same again, perhaps ever.

Lamenting the “good old days”, which ended about six months ago, does

Entire steps into the rail breach RAIL Europe’s Australian and New Zealand operations, which also traded for many years locally under the highly respected Rail Plus brand, have been another victim of COVID-19, with the business set to undergo a significant downsizing including the closure of its Great Train Journeys division. Most of the team have now left the company, with chief Richard Leonard confirming that the much smaller

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

nobody any good.

We know there is huge pent-up demand for travel, and any border openings, under any type of conditions, will see a rebound, however bleak things look now.

Despite governments seemingly doing little to provide certainty for a restart, there is no doubt that much work is going on behind the scenes. And in the end we are all receiving a perhaps much-needed lesson in patience.

Travel and tourism will return and, like all disruption, COVID-19 is already driving innovation in terms of new product development alongside of course huge amounts of work on health and safety protocols.

Unfortunately, as we all know, this virus is particularly brutal on this industry that we all love so much.

As we reflect on the words of Britain’s wartime leader, I believe we can be reassured that things will improve.

It took two more years for the Allies to achieve victory in Europe – hopefully our trajectory out of COVID-19 will be much shorter.

business “won’t be able to offer all customer service channels to every single agent”.

Rail Europe has had a chequered career in recent years, particularly with a somewhat confused brand message when it switched to the Rail Europe moniker while continuing to assure the industry that “we sell more than just Europe”. However that’s all over now, with the business transitioning to a Paris-based booking platform at the end of this month.

However Entire Travel Group’s Greg

McCallum, who worked at Rail Plus for more than a decade from the early 2000s, has seen a major opportunity with the Rail Europe changes and launched a new Great Train Journeys division within the Entire business. McCallum said the new program would be introduced to agents as the industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

BELLES OF THE TRAVEL BALL

STA Travel insolvent THE collapse of STA Travel last month marked the end of an era, with Caspar Urhammer, CEO of STA’s Swiss-based parent company, declaring insolvency which has seen the closure of its 27 stores across Australia, as well as 52 UK-based outlets. It was a sad end for the business which was founded in Melbourne in the late 1970s, growing out of what was formerly named Stewart Moffat Travel.

Locally administrators from Deloitte have been appointed to the Australian entity, and have advised customers they are “not currently in a position to honour any credit for cancelled trips”.

HLO rides the storm HELLOWORLD Travel Limited has reported a $70 million loss for the year to 30 June, but believes it is well positioned to flourish once the “perfect storm” of COVID-19 subsides. Heavy cost-cutting and the recent equity raising has given the company enough money for operating and capital expenditure beyond the end of 2022, even if international

QUEENSLAND-BASED TravelManagers members Adela Backhouse and Emma Ross last month celebrated the support they had received from their Business Partnership Manager, Karen Dowling, in the creation of their Belle Adventures touring product, which was developed to “give women a much-needed break from the juggling act”. Belle Adventures has rapidly pivoted to deal with COVID-19 and is now offering a range of domestic short break getaways.

“

We are confident that when they can travel, our customers will need the help of their travel professional more than ever

”

Andrew Burnes, Helloworld CEO

travel demand remains low.

A restructure of operations in New Zealand has seen staff numbers cut by 160, while the overall result was impacted by significant noncash writedowns of the value of Helloworld’s wholesale and inbound operations as well as the book value of TravelEdge which the company purchased just last October for $22.7 million.

CEO Andrew Burnes said the last few months had been the most challenging period in the company’s history. However travel will return, he believes, noting “we are confident that when they can travel our customers will need the help of their travel professional more than ever”.

CATO’s radical plan THE Council of Australian Tour Operators last month unveiled a draft discussion paper for the future of the Australian travel industry, in the hope of sparking debate about how things could be reshaped in a postCOVID-19 world.

CATO is proposing that the AFTA Travel Accreditation Scheme be broadened beyond just travel agents, to become administered jointly

by AFTA, CATO and CLIA, each of which would set accreditation standards for its own members.

The plan also postulates the creation of a ‘user Continues over page

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

3

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Continues from previous page pays’ consumer protection scheme, which would be funded by a levy on all bookings through ATAS Accredited Entities. This policy would be administered

by ATAS in conjunction with an insurance provider, and endorsed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

CATO Chairman Dennis Bunnik said the plan would significantly broaden ATAS membership and bring many non-accredited businesses “into the fold” while the consumer protection levy would “encourage bookings through ATAS accredited businesses”. The draft received a lukewarm reception from AFTA which said the issues raised, on the eve of a major Budget submission, had already been the subject of longterm discussions with Government.

“AFTA continues to lobby

on these highly sensitive matters...the chances of success are not elevated as a result of publicly airing these issues in this way,” was the terse response from AFTA Chairman Tom Manwaring. Meanwhile CLIA acknowledged the report, but noted that as a global trade association it “may therefore be limited in its ability to become directly involved as suggested”.

Webjet joins AFTA! AUSTRALIAN Federation of Travel Agents CEO Darren Rudd has firmly defended a decision to allow Webjet Limited to become a member of AFTA, after the move was widely criticised by members with memories of Webjet’s longstanding anti-agent TV commercials.

Rudd acknowledged the anger from across the industry, but said having Webjet as part of AFTA at this time was particularly

“

AFTA continues to lobby on these highly sensitive matters... the chances of success are not elevated as a result of publicly airing these issues in this way

”

Tom Manwaring, AFTA Chairman

significant, given the pressures on the industry due to COVID-19. “For governments to listen, you have to be big,” he told travelBulletin.

“Webjet is an influential and significant player in our sector and we welcome them as an AFTA member and ATAS-accredited agent at a time when industry unity and a combined voice is more important than it has ever been,” he said.

Rudd also confirmed the impact that the pandemic was having on AFTA itself, with the Federation taking the unprecedented step of reducing its office hours to a Monday to Wednesday three day week effective from this month. He noted that with fees waived, the “economic reality” was that costs needed to be cut to ensure the organisation survived the pandemic, with other measures including possibly relocating the AFTA office to cheaper premises.

HEADLINES 03 Aug 05 Aug 10 Aug 11 Aug 13 Aug 13 Aug 14 Aug 14 Aug 17 Aug 17 Aug

4

goPassport safety plan Tigerair Australia brand to be discontinued AFTA pushes for PMC funds Rail Europe restructures Flight Centre profits collapse CATO releases standard T&Cs Entire adds rail Princess Cruises welcomes Rudy report New AAT Kings CEO named AFTA cuts hours to three days per week

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

19 Aug 19 Aug 19 Aug 20 Aug 20 Aug 24 Aug 25 Aug 25 Aug 26 Aug 27 Aug

CTM reports $8.2 million full year loss Aeronology offers free setup Flight Centre to shut down Infinity STA Travel files for insolvency Travel Money Oz to temporarily hibernate QF announces departure of Tino La Spina AFTA lauches mental health program Virgin creditors to receive up to 13% CATO releases industry reform paper Flight Centre confirms $849 million loss

DATA ROOM DOMESTIC ON TIME PERFORMANCE

ARRIVALS

March 2020

Jetstar

Qantas

Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

80.6% 78.5% 26.8%

Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

RETURNS

Top 10 destinations, July 2020

86.1% 87.0% 11.4%

Source

Original

New Zealand UK(a) China USA India Malaysia Philippines Indonesia Pakistan Singapore ALL ARRIVALS

1,540 630 620 560 480 290 220 200 150 140 18,300

Top 10 destinations, May 2020

% change % change - original - original Jun 20/ Jul 19/ Jul 20 Jul 20 -43.6 -99.1 -20.5 -99.0 -48.1 -99.7 +21.7 -99.1 -64.7 -99.1 +307.1 -99.3 -24.7 -98.9 -7.9 -99.2 -65.7 -96.4 +0.7 -99.5 -29.1 -99.1

Source: ABS

6,610 5,490 3,790 3,640 2,240 1,890 1,490 1,440 1,420 1,210 57,000

.5 %

84.2% 85.4% 17.3%

-27.4%

Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

China India New Zealand UK Malaysia France USA Germany South Korea Indonesia ALL RETURNS

% change % change - original - original Jun 20/ Jul 19/ Jul 20 Jul 20 +59.0 -94.9 +172.7 -87.6 +4.8 -97.7 +29.1 -93.8 +460.5 -94.1 +53.0 -89.3 +13.1 -97.8 +46.3 -91.0 +9.6 -93.7 +121.5 -95.9 +42.2 -96.8

Source: ABS

All airlines

82.8% 85.1% 22.7%

Original

-36

Virgin Australia Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

Source

-22

DOMESTIC AIR MARKET

.5%

June 2020

-2 5 -2 9.6 %

.8 %

Growth % -25.8 -25.7 -24.8 -1.0* -22.4

%

4.71m 5.50bn 7.03bn 78.3 51.1

Growth Yr to Yr to % Jun 19 Jun 20 0.38m -91.9 60.98m 45.24m 0.37bn -93.3 71.08bn 52.80bn 0.69bn -90.1* 88.53bn 66.61bn 53.3 -25.0 80.3 79.3 10.3 -79.8 634.1 491.9

-26.3

Total pax carried Revenue pax km (RPK) Avail seat kms (ASK) Load factor (%) Aircraft trips (000)

Jun 20

-24.0%

Jun 19

-2 7

.5 %

-26.5% -26.5%

*Percentage points difference

INTERNATIONAL AIR MARKET SHARE Share of passengers carried – June 2020

INTERNATIONAL AIR ROUTES Top 10 city pairs, June 2020

Others, 19.9% City pair Qatar Airways, 32.0%

Singapore Airlines, 2.6% China Eastern Airlines, 2.6% Asiana Airlines, 3.7% China Southern Airlines, 4.2% Cathay Pacific Airways, 4.6% Air New Zealand, 14.3%

Air India, 4.7% Emirates, 5.7%

Auckland-Sydney Singapore-Melbourne Singapore-Sydney Auckland-Melbourne Singapore-Perth Hong Kong-Sydney Singapore-Brisbane Auckland-Brisbane Los Angeles-Sydney Denpasar-Perth Top 10 City Pairs Other City Pairs ALL CITY PAIRS

Passengers YE Jun 19 1,581,489 1,626,826 1,510,858 1,244,074 1,106,883 1,231,958 902,595 951,788 903,744 880,596 11,940,811 30,180,193 42,121,004

Passengers YE Jun 20 1,162,126 1,145,893 1,121,086 914,245 841.560 781,811 699,229 690,272 655,989 649,188 8,661,399 22,070,713 30,732,112

% of total % change 20/19 3.8 -26.5 3.7 -29.6 3.6 -25.8 3.0 -26.5 2.7 -24.0 2.5 -36.5 2.3 -22.5 2.2 -27.5 2.1 -27.4 2.1 -26.3 28.2 -27.5 71.8 -26.9 100.0 -27.0

Source: BITRE

United Airlines, 5.8% Source: BITRE

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

5

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Top 10 domestic city pairs, June 2020

City pair

MelbourneSydney Brisbane-Sydney BrisbaneMelbourne Gold CoastSydney AdelaideMelbourne Melbourne-Perth Gold CoastMelbourne Adelaide-Sydney Perth-Sydney Hobart-Melbourne ALL CITY PAIRS

Passengers Passengers % change YE Jun 19 YE Jun 20 (000) (000) 9,196.2

6,602.7

-28.2

4,814.3

3,533.2

-26.6

3,594.8

2,671.3

-25.7

2,692.0

2,026.5

-24.7

2,506.8

1,847.6

-26.3

2,115.7

1,585.2

-25.1

2,083.4

1,561.2

-25.1

1,877.3 1,690.4 1,661.3 60,981.8

1,355.5 1,266.1 1,221.3 45,241.8

-27.8 -25.1 -26.5 -25.8

Source: BITRE

AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER SPEND ON TRAVEL: NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA INDEX 0

-83 -83 -78 -81 -76 -77 -80 -83 -83 -84 -84

-20

-40

-60

-80

01 J un 08 J un 15 J un 22 J un 29 J un 06 J ul 13 J ul 20 J ul 27 J ul 03 A ug 10 A ug

MAIN DOMESTIC ROUTES

-100 Source: News Corp

AUSTRALIAN AIRPORTS

International passengers through Australia’s major international airports, June 2020 City pair

Passengers YE Jun 19 Sydney 16,907,184 Melbourne 11,349,566 Brisbane 6,247,822 Perth 4,333,913 Adelaide 1,061,511 Gold Coast 967,813 Cairns 660,699 Avalon (a) 238,570 Darwin 235,299 Canberra 86,890 Sunshine Coast (b) 14,303 Newcastle (c) 6,687 Port Hedland 8,683 Norfolk Island (d) ..

Townsville (e) 2.064 ALL AIRPORTS 42,121,004

Passengers % of total % change YE Jun 20 20/19 12,124,493 39.5 -28.3 8,152,173 26.5 -28.2 4,704,653 15.3 -24.7 3,209,262 10.4 -26.0 836,765 2.7 -21.2 690,791 2.2 -28.6 450,678 1.5 -31.8 293,747 1.0 +23.1 183,458 0.6 -22.0 57,349 0.2 -34.0 13,084 0.0 -8.5 7,371 0.0 +10.2 6,410 0.0 -26.2 1,878 0.0 .. .. .. ..

30,732,112 100.0 -27.0

(a) Scheduled passenger services commenced Dec ‘18 (d) Scheduled services ceased May ‘17 and recommenced (b) Seasonal services only Sep ‘19 (c) Scheduled services (seasonal) recommenced Nov ‘18 (e) Scheduled services ceased Sep ‘18

Source: BITRE

Steve Jones’ Say I THOUGHT the dismissive way AFTA treated the Council of Australian Tour Operator’s recent discussion paper was unbecoming of the agency body. It came across as condescending and contained an air of superiority that really rankled.

CATO drew up a paper following consultation with members. It made which several, very reasonable

6

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

suggestions, as to the future structure of ATAS and consumer protection.

Goodness knows the industry needs to come together and talk about these issues.

Yet AFTA’s response was, in effect, to tell CATO and its Chairman Dennis Bunnik to shut up and let the big boys handle things. Bunnik, who has done much to elevate the voice of CATO and its members, deserved better than this brush off.

AFTA’s irritation was partly a result of the discussion paper being sent to the trade media who it clearly feels have no part to play in any debate. That is patently wrong. Among the roles of a trade publication is, or least should be, to facilitate debate and provide a vehicle for discussion. That, I imagine, is precisely why Bunnik sent it to Travel Daily, and others, in the first place.

Unlike the rabid consumer

“

AFTA’s response was, in effect, to tell CATO and its Chairman Dennis Bunnik to shut up and let the big boys handle things

”

news media in recent times, Australia’s trade press has been nothing but supportive of the industry.

Anyone doubting that should look at the initiatives of the past six months.

But more than that, it was the tacit suggestion that only AFTA should be discussing such issues at a higher level that left a sour taste. Everyone in the industry has the right to comment, debate, and make suggestions. And to do it publicly. AFTA doesn’t have a monopoly on that.

I have no doubt that AFTA has lobbied hard for the industry, as it should have done during these perilous times. And it continues to do so. But to suppress conversation, to suggest another trade body – one which represents a large and critical part of the supply chain – that it should pipe down, is just plain wrong.

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ISSUES & TRENDS

FLIGHT CENTRE JETTISONS BRANDS FLIGHT Centre made some major streamlining decisions last month, opting to hibernate its Travel Money Oz brand and retire its Infinity wholesale business, as the shutdown of the travel sector continues to erode the bottom line of agencies across the country.

When rationalising the decision to cut Infinity Holidays, one of the largest travel wholesalers in Australia, Flight Centre Executive GM of Australian Supply and If all we do is Product Greg Parker said the business was driven reduce our costs by a need to “right-size” and bring back a its operations during the smaller version sharp downturn.

“There’s been a clear of ourselves, need to reimagine we are clearly our future operating models,” he said. not positioning ourselves for long- “If all we do is reduce our costs and bring back term sustainable a smaller version of ourselves, we are clearly growth not positioning ourselves for long-term sustainable Greg Parker, Executive growth,” Parker added.

GM Australian Supply The call to suspend and Product, Flight Travel Money Oz was Centre made in light of ongoing international border closures, with Flight Centre flagging a resumption once the restrictions are lifted.

“

”

CLOSED

8

ED

CLOS

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

AFTA VIEW Darren Rudd, Chief Executive Officer Australian Federation of Travel Agents

IT HAS been a very busy, but extremely rewarding August. AFTA Chair, Tom Manwaring and myself had the opportunity to appear in front of the Senate Select Committee into COVID-19 on 20 August, where we argued a strong case for the need for on-going tailored support for Australia’s travel agents and covered a range of other key priorities for travel agents including the reality of the payment ecosystem and the critical need for international travel to resume.

Our grassroots campaign, where we bring travel agents together with their local MP, continued throughout August and is delivering for members. Just last week, Member for Wentworth Dave Sharma raised the plight of travel agents in Federal Parliament and we have continued to visit electorates, bringing together AFTA travel agent members and their local MP. Also last month, AFTA launched an exciting new Micro Credentials Program for the travel industry. Through the program, a partnership with Learning Vault, AFTA is allowing businesses – and their staff – to learn new skills or cross-skill during this challenging time.

AFTA held a Board meeting on 28 August, and it was highlighted that since the start of the pandemic, AFTA had delivered more than 80 webinars reaching 35,000 travel agent owners, managers and their staff.

We recognise however, that, in addition to business support, members need assistance with the emotional and financial stresses that has been brought on by COVID-19. Because of this, at the end of August, AFTA launched a Resilient Mind Program in partnership with Paul Taylor and the Mind Body Brain Performance Institute, a four-week challenge designed to boost resilience. In a single day of launching the program we had over 150 businesses and 500 individuals register take part. The challenge runs from 7 September until 4 October and we look forward to sharing the results with the industry. If ever there is a time to improve the way we each deal with the challenges that life throws at us, and our ability to cope, it’s now.

VIRGIN CREDITOR’S REPORT REVEALS PAYOUTS UNSECURED creditors of Virgin Australia will receive between 9c and 13c in the dollar if the proposed Deed of Company Administration (DOCA) sale of the carrier to Bain Capital is approved at a creditors’ meeting early this month. The details of the payout were revealed in the highly anticipated formal Report to Creditors from administrators Deloitte Financial Advisory which was finally released on 25 August.

The report summarised the debts owed by the carrier, including $1.93 billion to about 6,500 bondholders, 9,022 employees with entitlements worth $129 million, 63 landlords owed $201 million and $237 million owed to 1,437 general creditors – including travelBulletin.

The report makes fascinating reading as it particularly charts the financial decline of Virgin Australia. While COVID-19 put the final nail in the coffin of the carrier, the administrators noted that the airline had been weakened from “cumulative losses incurred almost year-on-year from 2009 to 2020,” amounting to about $2.2 billion. While the airline’s revenue

had continued to grow through that period, “it was not profitable growth,” with Virgin unable to derive sustainable profits from its strategic shift from a budget carrier to a full service airline.

In that state, the impact of coronavirus dealt a hammer blow to the business, particularly in March when overall capacity was reduced to less than 10% of normal levels.

“Such a reduction in business was not sustainable to service the Virgin Group’s costs and debt load,” the administrators noted.

The proposed DOCA will see employees of Virgin Australia receive their full entitlements, even

“

The proposed DOCA will see employees of Virgin Australia receive their full entitlements, even amid a significant downsizing of the workforce

”

amid a significant downsizing of the workforce. Those who leave will get a 100% payout, while those who remain in the business will be paid “in the normal course of business”.

The report also discussed the alternative recapitalisation proposal from a group of bondholders, backed by five former Virgin Blue executives including DJ’s Head of Public Affairs, Heather Jeffery and the airline’s co-founder Rob Sherrard.

“Although received after the deadline for interested parties to submit a binding offer, we considered this proposal,” the administrators confirmed. “The proposal was highly conditional and contained no evidence of committed funding to enable a transaction to be completed; in those circumstances we were unable to take this proposal forward given the lack of certainty and the level of conditionality,” they added. The alternative proposal was withdrawn on 21 August after a Federal Court attempt to force creditors to consider it at this month’s meeting failed.

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

9

ISSUES & TRENDS

DARREN RUDD SEEKS SUPPORT AFTA CEO Darren Rudd’s program to engage with the grassroots of the industry will step up this month as the Federation pushes for a $125 million package of support in the upcoming Federal Budget.

A formal submission has been lodged, seeking a combination of business support grants and Commonwealth-backed loans to help the travel industry ride out the coronacrisis, with Rudd telling travelBulletin the package seeks funding on top of economy-wide measures like JobKeeper.

AFTA is seeking a one off payment of up to $100,000 (based on 2019 TTV) for agencies to help with a range of costs, in recognition of the unique position the industry has been placed in by the government’s ongoing border closures. But the submission also embraces the grim reality that some industry businesses will not survive, with $5,000 in funding per agency requested

for AFTA itself so it can undertake a formal financial assessment of the future viability of outlets – either on how they can continue to invest to remain in business after the pandemic, or whether it is better to make a “graceful exit”.

The budget will be announced in early October, and with its submission finalised, the Federation will now ramp up the pressure by a widespread activation of the industry. The political push will see AFTA members, suppliers and anyone else in the travel sector provided with resources and advice on how to engage with their local Federal Member of Parliament.

“We’ll be sending out a script and documents, advising how to constructively set up a meeting with local members, a profile on the metrics of the travel agent sector and the work they do, and what’s in our budget submission,” Rudd said.

The documentation has now also been made available via

the AFTA website, with the organisation urging industrywide support. “The more the merrier, the more impact it will have,” the AFTA CEO said.

And as well as the funding package, the messaging also reinforces to government the enormous impact that the ongoing border closures are having on the industry.

“

We are working to make sure Government appreciates the impact that these ongoing closures have on our members, the travel sector, suppliers and the community in general

”

Darren Rudd, AFTA CEO

“We are working to make sure Government appreciates the impact that these ongoing closures have on our members, the travel sector, suppliers and the community in general,” Rudd said.

With many sectors of the economy seeking COVID-19 funding, there’s no certainty that the plan will succeed, he noted.

“But this strategy will give us the best chance we can have of getting the dollars we need to get through this.”

10

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

AAPA URGES GLOBAL COOPERATION THE preoccupation with community transmission of COVID-19 by governments across the world is proving an irrational major impediment to the recommencement of aviation, according to Subas Menon, who, with exquisite timing, became Director-General of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) in March this year. Menon, well known in Australia as the former Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President South West Pacific, told travelBulletin he believes it is vital that the world learns to adapt to the “new normal” of COVID-19 and “re-create an aviation network by applying science to mitigate identifiable risks to travellers and crew”.

Noting the massive impact that opening up flights will have on revitalising battered economies, Menon said aviation was only likely to resume in earnest when governments act in concert “to apply measures that are safe but practical, to facilitate, rather than deter travel.

The current patchwork of blanket containment measures are only serving to suppress aviation demand,” he said.

Safety is and will always be our top priority.

Learn more about what we’re doing to keep you safe while flying at united.com/cleanplus travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

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SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD In mid-March this year Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess docked in Sydney Harbour and its 2,700 guests were allowed to disembark despite what was later found to be a number of COVID-19 cases on board. The incident has led to several official inquiries, the demonisation of the cruise industry and a relentless night-afternight series of negative mainstream media reports about the horrors of cruising. Bruce Piper traces how it all went so wrong.

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AST month the NSW Government unveiled the final report from its Special Commission of Inquiry into the incident, finding “serious mistakes” were made by its own Health Department.

Although State Premier Gladys Berejiklian has apologised unreservedly to those who contracted coronavirus as a result of the spread from the ship, no such apology has been forthcoming to the cruise sector from anyone involved with the “sorry episode,” as Commissioner Bret Walker described it. And such is the opprobrium around cruising as a result of the various investigations and sensational coverage, almost all of the major cruise companies have recently further deferred their return to local waters, and many in the sector are coming to the grim realisation that a 2020/21 summer season is unlikely – or at the

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very least will be severely curtailed.

In the early days of this crisis, there appeared to be little doubt in the minds of officials at all levels that cruise operators were to blame for the outbreak. Government was understandably scrambling to deal with a rapidly escalating global crisis, and the identification of the Ruby Princess as a possible infection epicentre perhaps provided a welcome focus for officials to point the media towards in terms of assigning blame.

The fact that cruise companies are foreignowned, despite their longstanding commitment to the Australasian market, also helped feed the paranoia and xenophobia, meaning when the ships were ordered out of local waters the community felt just a little bit safer – and reassured that the Government and the police were doing their job to protect the public.

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Unfortunately the infection rates of those who were aboard the ship are unclear, because many passengers who later reported COVID-like symptoms were unable to be tested – particularly a significant number who had returned home to the UK where, at the time, the Government had not implemented widespread testing regimes. However it’s estimated that a third of the passengers on the cruise, or about 800, did contract COVID-19. While the COVID-19 related deaths of 28 Ruby Princess passengers – 20 in Australia and eight in the USA – are absolutely tragic, the massive reaction to the spread of the 2,700 guests across the country and the world after disembarking does seem to be somewhat overblown, particularly since they resulted in a total of just 62 cases of secondary and tertiary transmission. Those 62 people included multiple cases of COVID-19 reported by transport

08 Mar Ruby Princess docks in Sydney then departs for next cruise to NZ

15 Mar Scott Morrison orders all int’l cruise ships to cease cruising for 30 days

14 Mar 14-day isolation requirement implemented for anyone returning from overseas

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workers assisting passengers at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal on the morning of 19 March 2020.

THE TIMELINE OF A TRAGEDY THE report from the Commission of Inquiry details the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic. After half a year of lockdowns, border closures and other restrictions it’s almost surreal to think that this coronavirus was only formally identified in early January after a spate of unusual infections in China. By 20 January almost 300 confirmed cases had been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in China (278 cases), Thailand (2 cases), Japan (1 case) and South Korea (1 case).

Five days later Australia confirmed its first case, identified as a man who had flown from Guangdong to Melbourne. In response the Australian Government raised its travel advisory for China’s Wuhan

23 Mar NSW Health tightens disembarkation policy, tells Ruby passengers to self isolate

19 Mar Ruby Princess returns from NZ and passengers disembark after clearance from authorities

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27 Mar Stuart Allison confirms Ruby Princess was assessed as low risk and complied with all requirements

25 Mar 8th passenger dies in Sydney RPA

28 Mar Greg Hunt bans int’l cruise ships until 15 Jun

05 Apr Mick Fuller announces criminal investigation into Carnival Australia

09 Apr NSW Police “raid” Ruby Princess in Port Kembla

15 Apr Gladys Berejiklian announces special Commission of Enquiry

16 Apr Mick Fuller orders Ruby Princess to depart Australian waters

24 Apr Ruby Princess departs Port Kembla

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Top: Ruby Princess left Australia on a cruise to New Zealand seven days before Scott Morrison’s 30-day ban on international cruise ships ©Princess Cruises Left: Initially COVID19’s spread was limited to China

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and Hubei Province to “Level 4 – do not travel”. At the time we all still thought it was a far-off problem, and were bemused at the seemingly extreme measures being undertaken in Wuhan to control the spread. How little we knew.

Just a few days later the WHO convened a further update, announcing more than 7,700 cases in China and 83 patients in 18 other countries and declaring the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. On 1 February the Smartraveller advisory level was raised to “Do not Travel” for the whole of China, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison imposed a ban on arrivals of anyone who had been in mainland China during the previous 14 days. That same day, the first case of COVID-19 connected with the Diamond Princess, cruising in Japanese waters, was confirmed, leading to the ship being quarantined in Yokohama. Princess Cruises was

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also the centre of another crisis off the coast of California, where its Grand Princess was on a roundtrip voyage from San Francisco.

Tedros Adhanom, the DirectorGeneral of the WHO, sounded further alarms on 11 March 2020 – just over a week before the controversial Ruby Princess disembarkation – after official figures noted that COVID-19 cases had escalated 13-fold over the previous fortnight. By that stage there were more than 118,000 reported infections across 114 countries, with 4,291 deaths recorded. “In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher,” he warned. On 13 March 2020 the newly convened National Cabinet announced the first of ever-stricter measures, including no gatherings of more than 500 people. That was followed on 15 March by a requirement for 14-day

18 May News Corp Australia issues apology over critical article describing the enquiry as “state-sponsored bastardry”

08 May Federal inquiry hears evidence confirming ship’s health log was regularly updated

21 May Greg Hunt reissues biosecurity order banning cruise ships in Australian waters

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14 Aug NSW Commission of Inquiry report released

28 Jul Shine Lawyers announces class action against Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises

17 Aug Gladys Berejiklian apologises unreservedly to anyone affected by community transmission from Ruby Princess

17 Sep Biosecurity order due to expire

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Top: From the beginning, Carnival Australia maintained Ruby Princess’ captain, ship doctor, crew and shoreside team had all followed the authorities’ requirements ©Princess Cruises Bottom: Ruby Princess departs from Port Kembla, where she was subject to a police ‘raid’ for evidence in the criminal investigation and was docked until ordered to leave Australian waters ©James D Morgan/ Getty Images

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ROS C T O N O D · E CRIME SCEN self-isolation requirement on all international arrivals, as well as a complete ban on international cruise ships entering local waters.

However this ban had exceptions for ships already en route to Australia – including the Ruby Princess which was undertaking a trans-Tasman voyage.

The Ruby Princess arrived back in Sydney on 19 March after its itinerary was amended in response to the new restrictions, was assessed as being “low risk”

by NSW Health, and therefore passengers were allowed to disembark and return home or board onward flights. And then at 9pm that same day Australia’s borders were closed to non-citizens and non-residents. Passengers were initially told their self-isolation period could commence from the final port they had visited in New Zealand, but later this advice was amended to require 14 days of quarantine from disembarkation – but in the final destination meaning they could travel home.

It took four more days for authorities in NSW to further tighten the policy, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard ordering that all cruise ships should be held in port with disembarkation denied until all passengers with respiratory issues had been tested for COVID-19. On 23 March NSW Health also confirmed it had been in contact with all Ruby Princess passengers to advise of the 14-day self-isolation requirement. At the same time some very unwell passengers were being treated in hospital, with eight deaths recorded by 25 March.

Amid the maelstrom, perhaps taking the approach of “out of sight is out of mind,” Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt issued

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his first formal cruising Biosecurity Order on 28 March which banned all international cruise ships from Australian waters until 15 June – an order which has so far been extended until the middle of this month and no clarity at all yet as to when vessels will be permitted to return.

CRUISING IN THE CROSSHAIRS THE escalating crisis was the subject of nightly updates on the TV news, with media also ultimately producing several sensational exposés poring over the grisly details. Amid all of this Princess Cruises and its parent company Carnival Australia strenuously tried to mount a defence. On 27 March Princess regional chief Stuart Allison issued a video update confirming that Ruby Princess had been assessed as low risk, and had complied with all official requirements. That was backed up a week or so later in an update on 2 April from Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell, who insisted that the ship’s crew and shoreside team had “followed to the letter” all of the clearance processes in place at the time.

However their protestations at the time were like a candle in the wind of overwhelming opposition and accusations, with NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller particularly damning. Just two days after the ship docked he described the escalating death toll as “suspicious”. Cruise ships intending to dock in NSW had a “high responsibility” to report any COVID-19 symptoms and alert health authorities about any concerns. “Did they, or did they not, do that?” he asked.

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Fuller initiated a criminal investigation into the incident, urging the public to make submissions via the Crime Stoppers hotline. Fuller confirmed that more than 200 people had made reports offering information, adding “that could take two months alone chasing up those leads”.

Fortunately there appeared to be plenty of manpower to undertake the probe, with Fuller announcing that a team of no less than 30 detectives from the State Crime, Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics and Marine Area Commands had been seconded to the specially constituted “Strike Force Bast”.

They would also be assisted by intelligence analysts and other specialist officers, he promised.

And Berejiklian backed this up with her assurance that if police found no grounds to lay criminal charges she would launch her own inquiry. “I give my

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However [the cruise line’s] protestations at the time were like a candle in the wind of overwhelming opposition and accusations, with NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller particularly damning. Just two days after the ship docked he described the escalating death toll as ‘suspicious’

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absolute commitment to that,” she promised. By this time Ruby Princess had relocated to Port Kembla, with compassion at least shown to the crew on board, some of whom were also showing COVID19 symptoms, in a turnaround from the initial insistence that she sail off into the sunset as soon as possible despite having illness on board. While the ship was in Port Kembla, officers from the police Strike Force visited the ship to speak to the captain and crew on 9 April – an encounter described as a “raid to seize evidence” by Nine Publishing. Fuller mysteriously noted that “ships have a black box very similar to that of international planes, and that and other evidence has been seized for further investigation”.

After it emerged that police and coronial investigations could take up to a year to finalise, Berejiklian formally established her Commission of Inquiry on 15 April, with Bret Walker SC ordered to report back to the government in three to four months. “We will leave no stone unturned until we find out exactly what happened,” she said. “Discussions with the Police Commissioner and the State Coroner have made clear to me their expected investigation timelines, and I have decided that the quickest path to answers is through a powerful and independent inquiry.”

The scrutiny continued in the following days, including an encounter in the Carnival Australia car park in Sydney where the company’s chief Sture Myrmell was bailed up by journalists from Channel 7 as he arrived at work.

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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller both announced separate investigations into Ruby Princess ©Dean Lewins/AAP Image

Myrmell managed to retain his composure during aggressive questioning on camera as he was pursued to the elevator and was repeatedly asked “Will you apologise to the families of the victims?”

NOT WITH A BANG, BUT A WHIMPER THE Special Commission held a series of public hearings, with Commissioner Walker and his counsel soliciting evidence from the public as well as the cruise company, state and federal officials. Despite assurances of full cooperation from the Prime Minister, the Federal Government launched legal action to stop the Commission being able to compel testimony from some of its witnesses, and the hearings once again provided a nightly opportunity for the cruise industry to be vilified and demonised by tabloid TV journalists. Evidence probed including the timing of ship’s logs, how medical cases on board were reported to official government systems, claims that perhaps the ship’s doctor had been less than forthcoming about COVID-19 symptoms of those on board, a shortage of swabs on the ship, and tearful regret about the procedures undertaken by NSW Health which ultimately assessed the ship as “low risk” and allowed the passengers to disembark.

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And then one day shy of the four month deadline, Walker handed his 322-page report to the Government, with Berejiklian making it public via Twitter late on a Friday afternoon in August.

And lo and behold, as many in the cruise and travel industry had believed right from the start, the whole thing was a monumental waste of time. The overall conclusion was that amid an

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escalating crisis, where procedures and guidelines were changing on a daily basis, the panel of NSW Health experts which approved the ship’s disembarkation made the wrong decision.

“In light of all the information the Expert Panel had, the decision to assess the risk as ‘low risk’ – meaning, in effect, ‘do nothing’ – is as inexplicable as it is unjustifiable,” the report found. “It was a serious mistake,” Walker noted – but also pointed that perhaps like everyone else involved, sometimes humans do unfortunately make wrong decisions. “Those physicians relied on the best science, not pseudoscience or matters of political convenience,” Walker wrote.

“They were diligent and properly organised. There are no ‘systemic’ failures to address. Put simply, despite the best efforts of all, some serious mistakes were made”.

It’s now cold comfort given that we are nearly six months into this crisis with no sign of a

And lo and behold, as many in the cruise and travel industry had believed right from the start, the whole thing was a monumental waste of time

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resumption of the cruise industry, but the report vindicated all those claims made by Princess and Carnival in the early days. As Myrmell had insisted, the Princess on-board and shoreside teams followed the stipulated procedures to the letter. Princess Cruises Group President Jan Swartz noted that the Commission’s report “confirms that none of our people – the captain, the ship’s doctor, or members of our shore side port agency team – misled public authorities involved in Ruby Princess being permitted to disembark guests on 19 March.

This finding is of great importance to us because it goes to the integrity of our people. In our more than 20 years in Australia, we have always sought to cooperate honestly and professionally with officials in accordance with the regulatory environment.”

So where to now? Despite the report’s exhaustive examination of the issues and its final conclusion that has exonerated the cruise industry, Police chief Mick Fuller is persisting with his

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However the release of the NSW Special Commissioner’s report should at least pave the way for some progress in relation to a return to cruising

However the release of the NSW Special Commissioner’s report should at least pave the way for some progress in relation to a return to cruising. There has been a widespread perception that it was impossible to make any progress until Walker released his findings – and now that they are public, and have found that Princess adhered to the highest standards, surely it will be possible to move forward.

The 17 September deadline for the Government’s existing Biosecurity Order banning cruise ships from Australian waters is fast approaching. Let’s hope that with the conclusions of the report, rational heads prevail in Government and we can look forward to the restart of the cruise industry which supports so many livelihoods in Australia.

As for any sign of an apology to the now-vindicated industry shattered by the incident – from NSW Premier Gladys Berejikilan, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, NSW Health or mainstream media – don’t hold your breath.

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investigation. “We don’t just look at the recommendations of the special inquiry, but we look at the evidence,” he told Nine Radio after the report was released. “That will help police make a difficult decision, if need be, for anyone that may have shown a higher level of negligence that contributed to the death of those nine people in NSW,” Fuller added. The NSW Coroner is also conducting its normal processes in relation to the deaths and will eventually release a separate report in due course.

The 17 September deadline for the expiry of the Biosecurity Order banning cruise ships from Australian waters is approaching, with no word so far of what will happen next.

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MSC REBOOTS OPERATIONS MSC Cruises last month welcomed back its first guests on MSC Grandiosa, with the cruise line’s flagship departing from Genoa for a seven-night cruise through the western Mediterranean.

MSC’s comprehensive health and safety protocols have been implemented for all guests and crew members, with screening procedures including a temperature check, medical review and COVID-19 swab test for every guest prior to boarding.

MSC Grandiosa was meant to be followed by MSC Magnifica in the eastern Mediterranean in late August, but the restart has been pushed out to the end of this month, due to soft demand caused by the introduction of new testing measures for

Italians who have visited Greece. All other cruises, such as United States departures, have been cancelled through to November.

MSC Managing Director Australasia Alessandro Guerreri said the cruise line had set up a crossfunctional taskforce comprised of in-house experts to aid with the restart. “We engaged Aspen Medical to assist with the development, we also formed a blue-ribbon COVID expert group made up of highly qualified medical experts whose objective was to assist to review at a second level of control and to review all our initiatives to make sure they are effective and informed by the best available science and health practices,” Guerreri said.

MSC Grandiosa

VIKING CANCELS 2020 VOYAGES, OPENS 2021-23 VIKING Chief Executive Officer Torstein Hagen last month announced the decision to extend the cruise line’s global pause until the end of the year.

Affected guests can receive a fully transferrable 125% future cruise credit, with any voucher used to book a cancelled cruise reinstated with two-year validity.

It was not all doom and gloom for Viking, with Hagen also announcing

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optimism for cruising in 2021, with the year showing clear signs of improvement thus far.

However, Hagen noted it was “prudent to wait until the prevalence of the virus in the USA has been reduced and our guests feel more secure to travel.”

He also said Viking was wellpositioned to weather the current industry conditions, adding, “we are a private, closely held company

which means we do not have to rush the decision to return to service.”

However the line opened up 2021-2023 cruises for bookings, with voyages in Egypt, Europe and Southeast Asia all on sale.

“In time we’ll be travelling again.. in the meantime we want to help your clients make the most of their precious time, by planning their future adventures the Viking way,” said Viking MD ANZ Michelle Black.

Nurture your return.

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Your deals are amazing.

Your customers love you.

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CRUISE

CRUISE & MARITIME VOYAGES UNLIKELY TO PAY CREDITORS DUFF & Phelps, the administrator for Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) Australia, has found the COVID-19 pandemic and demand for refunds from customers as “key reasons for the company’s difficulties”, with a payout to creditors unlikely.

The administrator recommended in last week’s second report to creditors CMV Australia be wound up, as the cruise line has a cost base which cannot be reduced to a “mothball state” until the end of the pandemic, as well as large fixed overheads.

CMV Australia ceased trading last month when its British parent company CMV Group was unable to attract additional funding, with CMV Chief Executive Officer Christian Verhounig saying “the CMV journey has been tragically cut short by this unprecedented global pandemic.”

The cruise line had sold almost 90% of its 2020 capacity before the pandemic, and also had strong forward bookings for 2021 but despite this “we just could not get the

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financing deal over the line in time to save this wonderful business,” Verhounig said.

CMV Australia now owes more than $138 million to 53 creditors, with more than $131 million of its debt relating to secured creditor claims for the Group, as well as a related-party creditor owing $5.7 million to sister company South Quay Travel & Leisure, which provided ongoing funding to CMV Australia.

Local trade creditors are owed $470,000, staff are due $282,000 in entitlements, and CMV Australia Managing Director Dean Brazier is listed as being owed $55,000.

Duff & Phelps found the cruise line had not been trading while insolvent, but had been operating at a loss since 2014, losing $121,000 in the most recent fiscal year.

“It wasn’t until [the financing campaign] was ultimately unsuccessful and that certain entities within the CMV Group were placed into Administration that the Company’s ability to continue to meet its debts as and when they fell due came into question,” Duff & Phelps said.

While British consumers impacted by Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ closure have been protected by the various UK Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing and ABTA schemes, no such protection has been available in Australia, with travel agents who were not part of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents’ chargeback scheme believed to be heavily impacted.

Cruise & Maritime Voyages also planned to receive Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria for its 2021 season in a purchase from P&O Cruises Australia, which were planned to be renamed Amy Johnson and Ida Pfeiffer, but the future of these two ships is now unknown.

CLIA announces third US suspension CRUISE Lines International Association announced its third voluntary suspension of American cruise operations, with ocean-going members of the trade organisation agreeing to suspend cruising until the end of October.

The new suspension pushes back the earliest possible restart date to over a month back from the second suspension, which was until 17 September.

NCLH to restart as early as Nov NORWEGIAN Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio revealed the cruise line could return in a limited capacity later this year but admitted a full restart of cruise operations will take at least “six months”.

Del Rio conceded the company’s fleet would not likely return until the northern spring next year, but flagged limitedcapacity cruises could begin as early as November.

Cruise lines extend local pause ROYAL Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard and Carnival Cruise Line all extended their cruising pauses in local waters late last month.

Princess has cancelled all NZ and Australian voyages departing through to 12 December, while P&O and Carnival are out to 2 December and Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity won’t restart before 31 October.

CLIA VIEW

Joel Katz, Managing Director CLIA Australasia

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR A REVIVAL THOUGH cruising remains suspended in Australia and New Zealand, our discussions with governments on both sides of the Tasman have received important acknowledgements in recent weeks.

Firstly, government agencies have recognised the important efforts the cruise industry is making at the global level to develop extensive new health and safety protocols. As you might know, there’s an enormous amount of work going on to create measures that will uphold the health of guests, crew and communities, and our governments have indicated they’re preparing to discuss this in further detail.

Secondly, there’s a growing recognition of the economic importance of cruising in Australasia, where cruise tourism generates more than $5 billion a year in economic output and supports more than 25,000 jobs. Governments are aware of the terrible financial cost COVID-19 has inflicted on

our travel agent community and our other industry supporters, and we’ll continue to advocate on their behalf in all our government dealings.

Thirdly, government agencies have acknowledged our vision for a carefully phased regional approach to the resumption of cruising. While international borders remain closed, we see an opportunity for responsibly managed local cruising that will protect Australia and New Zealand from outside infection while at the same time opening the way for a much-needed revival of domestic tourism. We look forward to ongoing conversations in the near future, so that we can open a pathway towards resumption and economic revival.

It is still too soon to say when cruising might return to our region, but when the time is right we will be ready with the bestpossible measures in place.

Guided by the best available medical and scientific advice, we will maintain health and safety as our highest priority.

HEADLINES AUGUST 2020 03 Aug 11 Aug 17 Aug 21 Aug 25 Aug 26 Aug

Hurtigruten positive COVID tests Royal Caribbean looks to Oct relaunch Ruby Princess probe slams NSW Health Clean Cruising clients keen to cruise Viking opens 2023 for bookings Cunard local sailings off

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GREEN ON SYDNEY’S DOORSTEP

NSW is home to nearly a thousand amazing national parks, all teeming with unique wildlife and natural wonders such as UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites, ancient caves, and secluded golden beaches, but as Adam Bishop discovers, you don’t have to venture too far from Sydney to immerse yourself in nature.

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ROYAL NATIONAL PARK LOCATED in Sydney’s south, the expansive Royal National Park provides adventurous travellers with countless reasons to come and visit, from its prehistoric sandstone cliffs, micro-rainforests, rocky coves and salty marshes. But it’s the park’s wildlife that many find is the irresistible reason to trek the trails in this part of the world, especially for birdwatchers, who have the opportunity to spot a

NEW SOUTH WALES number of rare species of feathered friends, such as the endangered Far Eastern curlew. Weirdly enough however, it’s the wildlife that lurks off the coast of this fertile paradise that so often takes top billing for nature-lovers. The Royal National Park coastal park provides hundreds of amazing vantage points to watch for whales breaching in the open seas, and with more than 30,000 whales migrating along the NSW coastline each year, there is ample opportunity to spot one of these giant majestic marine mammals playfully enjoying their journey.

If you want a touch of luxury when venturing through the Royal National Park, then AEA Luxury Tours is one operator that offers a private tour including a 2.5 hour trek taking in part of one of Australia’s most famous coastal walks, the Coast Track which includes long sandy beaches and dramatic sea cliffs. Having a tour guide in tow will also increase your chances of finding a bunch of hidden gems on your hike, from secret waterfalls to meeting and greeting the forest’s most soughtafter spikey local resident, the echidna, along with learning about the area’s rich Aboriginal history.

Prices for the tour start from $515 for adults and includes a tea or coffee, a gourmet picnic lunch, park fees and air-conditioned transport to Sydney.

THE BLUE MOUNTAINS THE Blue Mountains is home to a huge array of challenging hiking trails and cliff tracks, from the 45km Kanangra Walls to Katoomba walk, to the Prince Henry Cliff walk.

If walking longer trails is not your cup of tea, then the Blue Mountains is also home to one of the widest selection of adrenaline and adventure activities in the country. One of the popular tour operators servicing the ranges is High and Wild Australian Adventures, offering abseiling, rock climbing, canyoning and bush survival courses.

Highlights include a half-day abseiling package in a group of less than 14 people, which starts out with a small five metre wall for those who have never undertaken the activity before. Once adventurers get into the swing of things and learn the best techniques from the experts, instructors take you to the 15 metre before graduating to some genuinely lofty heights on the 30-metres cliff faces. The sessions typically start in the morning at 9am and finish at lunchtime, with prices for the lessons leading in at $150 per adult, and $95 for kids.

Opposite page: The Royal National Park offers stunning coastal views Top: Between Bundeena and Otford is the best spot to potential see whales.

Middle: The Three Sisters is an iconic spot in the Blue Mountains.

Bottom: The Grand Canyon Walking Track will definitely test your fitness.

All images on this page ©Destination NSW

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Top: Bouddi National Park offers ocean views ©Central Coast Tourism Left: Get a different perspective on nature from above the ground at TreeTops on the Central Coast ©Destination NSW Right: See cuddly koalas at Australian Reptile Park ©Destination NSW

CENTRAL COAST ALL of the traditional relaxing Aussie outdoor activities are on offer in the Bouddi National Park, with an abundance of places to camp, go lake swimming or throw the rod in the water to fish. For something a little bit more up tempo, visitors can also use the Bouddi Ridge Explorer mountain biking trail, a 10km path looping together a collection of four smaller bike tracks – Strom loop, the Rocky Point trail, Daleys Point trail and the MacMasters Ridge trail. The cost of accessing the circuit is free and it is recommended you take plenty of water and a puncture repair kit with you just in case.

If Bouddi National Park isn’t enough to get your heart pumping, then head to TreeTops. There are number of locations on the Central Coast that offer a range of high ropes adventures to suit anyone from three years old and up, including flying foxes, Tarzan swings, suspended rafts, ziplines and more.

If you want to get up close and personal with some of the local wildlife, head to the Entrance waterfront for the daily Pelican Feed, or else try the Australian Reptile Park, whose residents include Tasmanian devils and a huge saltwater crocodile. Take a private VIP Behind the Scenes tour at the park, where you’ll

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meet and feed reptiles with an experienced animal keeper. Don’t fret if cold-blooded creatures aren’t your favourite – the tour also includes the chance to meet the more cuddly koalas and kangaroos. Prices for the tour start at $150 for adults and $100 for children.

Nearby Glenworth Valley also offers animal encounters of a different kind: the chance to take in the scenery of the area on horseback, with a range of horse-riding activities suitable for ages three and up.

After a day adventuring, travellers can put their feet up at the luxurious Pretty Beach House, with its four private pavilions and beautifully appointed main house, located in Bouddi National Park.

ILLAWARRA HEAD to Macquarie Pass National Park, near Wollongong on the south coast, where visitors can wander along the towering eucalyptus trees and lush greenery at a leisurely pace, stopping from time to time to admire the numerous cascading water flows and tranquil shallow river systems that sprinkle their way through most of its area. There’s a certain European quality to this nature reserve when compared to most others in the state, with its mossy green rocks and lush green canopy dominating

NEW SOUTH WALES the landscape and presenting bushwalkers with a decidedly cooler temperate atmosphere.

For those who are here to relax and not hike, the Cascades Picnic area would be one of the best places to visit. Here you can stop for lunch not far from the Illawarra Highway and enjoy the open grassy area surrounded by the ambience of the tall timber.

Just a stone’s throw (or a 25 minute drive) away is the Illawarra Fly. The attraction offers a range of experiences, with the Treetop Walk and Zipline Tours our top picks. The TreeTop Walk takes travellers 20 metres above the floor of the Illawarra Rainforest, and extends 1.5km.

The TreeTop Walk is suitable for all ages, and for early risers, there is a Sunrise Walk Tour, which also includes coffee on arrival and a delicious hot buffet breakfast to entice those for whom stunning sunrise views aren’t enough. For the more adventurous souls, there’s the Zipline Tour which includes the TreeTop Walk as well as a chance to experience the highest zipline tour in Australia.

SYDNEY EVEN in the city there’s plenty of nature to soak up. The newly opened Manly to Bondi Walk links all the existing coastal and harbourside walking tracks together, creating a memorable journey between the city’s two most famous beaches and taking in iconic landmarks along the way, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The 80km path can be done in 15 hours if you really want a challenge, but the best way to enjoy the walk is breaking it up into smaller sections.

Luckily, selling NSW is even easier now, with all the experiences featured ready to work with the trade. For full details of experiences, see Destination NSW’s Trade Toolkit, which includes on-demand trade training tools and resources.

Travel distributors based in Australia and overseas are invited to access this free resource via Destination NSW’s dedicated landing page for the trade. CLICK HERE to the trade toolkit.

Top: Walk all the way around Sydney Harbour on the Manly to Bondi Walk ©Destination NSW

Find NSW products and inspiration for your clients’ next escape. destinationnsw.com.au/tradetoolkit

travelBulletin SEPTEMBER 2020

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LAST WORD

SUDOKU

Medium

The aim of Sudoku is to complete the entire grid using the numbers 1-9. Each number can only be used once in each row, column, 3×3 box.

Funnies Flashback We’ve trawled through the Travel Daily Window Seat archives to give you blast from the past. Here’s a gem from 30 Aug 2013.

A CHICAGO woman has finally settled a four year old set of parking fines which had snowballed to US$105,000.

Jennifer Fitzgerald’s car had accumulated parking fines at the O’Hare International Airport Carpark ever since a disenfranchised ex-boyfriend left it in the employees section of the car park in 2009.

Since then, 678 tickets had been issued before the vehicle was finally towed, according to BBC News.

An out of court settlement with consideration that Fitzgerald had been unable to access the car park included a payment of $4,500, some of which ($1,600) will hopefully be reimbursed by the ex-boyfriend.

www.sudokuoftheday.com – visit them and get a new Sudoku every day!

FUNNY FESTIVALS WORLD TOE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS, UK THOSE with strong toes can rejoice, there is finally a place where their unusual skills can be put to use.

The first World Toe Wrestling Championships were held in Wetton, Staffordshire, UK in the 1970s, though today the location of the competition varies.

Toe wrestling is very like arm wrestling, with two people going up against each other to try and pin their competitor’s foot to the ground.

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A thorough toe examination is done of entrants by a nurse prior to competing, but injuries during the competition are common, including bruises and even broken toes.

Unfortunately the annual World Toe Wrestling Championships were cancelled this year, but on the bright side, it gives everyone an extra year to train up.

©Bernard

Austr i an National To u r i s t O f f i c e

LET US HELP YOU EDUCATE THE TRADE These suppliers use the Travel Daily Training Academy for their trade education programs. We offer a platform that is effective, scalable, user friendly and accessible 24/7 via mobile, tablet or desktop.

Click here to find out more.

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Keep Dreaming, Travel & Cruise Weekly’s weekly online magazine can help you communicate with consumers who are looking to plan and book their next holiday.

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Yarra Valley ©Visit Victoria

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