Ep 67: Take-off for the Australia-New Zealand Travel Bubble, with Simon Westaway

This week marks the start of the two-way travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand. So there’s no better time for Gary and Hannah to welcome back Simon Westaway, Executive Director of the Australian Tourism Industry Council, to the show.

Back in December, Simon accurately predicted April for the two-way travel bubble getting started. In a fascinating discussion, we look at how Australia’s domestic tourism sector has recovered, and trends have shifted. These include more travel within home states, and a surge in self-drive trips. Meanwhile, some regions of the country have never had it so good. Plus, the outlook for travel between Australia and New Zealand as the winter sports season beckons, and some of the new routes that airlines are introducing.

Beyond the bubble, are South Pacific islands next on the itinerary, and will Australia push ahead with a much-touted travel corridor with Singapore? And how about Vietnam? Finally, what’s the outlook for long-haul international travel in 2021, or more likely 2022?