JULY 2023 ISSUE
THERE WERE few ‘blank spaces’ left on planes or in hotels when pre-sale tickets for Taylor Swift’s Australian tour dates were released recently.
The pop star’s fan army, better known as ‘Swifties’, flooded flight and hotel booking engines with unprecedented demand for Swift’s Eras Tour, taking place in Sydney and Melbourne in February 2024.
Tickets sold out in record time with some fans feeling ‘bad blood’, but some were able to ‘shake it off’ when additional dates in both cities were quickly added.
Hilton hotels in Sydney and Melbourne experienced a reservation frenzy with bookings skyrocketing by 1,129 per cent and 9,400 per cent respectively.
Early booking demand across Accor’s Sydney hotels was also up 180 per cent over the concert dates when compared to the year prior.
Airlines were also riding the wave with online travel agent Webjet reporting extraordinary spikes in domestic flight searches to coincide with the Eras tour.
On one day bookings for tour dates in Sydney (Feb 22-26) soared 2,767 per cent compared to the previous day.
Melbourne experienced a remarkable surge for its earlier tour dates (Feb 15-17) with an increase of 1,738 per cent compared to the day prior.
With four concerts now confirmed for Accor Stadium in Sydney, the 12-time GRAMMY award winner is set to entertain an anticipated audience of more than 300,000 fans.
She will also become the first artist to ever play four successive concerts at Accor Stadium on the one tour, with A Reserve tickets nearing $400 apiece.
GET YOUR VOTES IN FOR NTIA 2023
NOMINATIONS FOR the 2023 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) are now open.
Following several recommendations from the NTIA Custodians, the awards process will be better than ever.
In total there will be up to 36 award categories, including 27 ‘Most Outstanding’ judged categories, seven ‘Most Popular’ voted categories and two ‘People’s Choice’ consumer campaigns.
Several categories have been expanded to reflect the industry’s strong growth and expansion of scope, including additions to the cruise, airline, tour operator and wholesaler categories.
The awards will also see the reintroduction of business events travel agency and car rental operator categories, as well as a new category, ‘Innovation in Travel Support Services’.
‘Most Popular’ supplier categories will be opened to industry voting, with the top five voted companies confirmed as finalists and the top voted suppliers announced as the winner.
“Our NTIA Custodians have been hard at work collaborating with AFTA to preserve the integrity of the NTIAs while continuing to evolve the process of recognising and rewarding excellence in Australia’s travel sector,” said Dean Long, AFTA CEO.
“These changes best reflect the expansion of scope of our industry and allow for the recognition of excellence across all parts of the travel industry sector.”
“As the pre-eminent awards for our Industry and given the significant value that corporate and consumer Australia places on the NTIAs, these changes will serve to enhance the reputation of our finalists and winners as the very best in class for 2023.”
HOW TO WIN A HOLIDAY FOR LIFE
QANTAS HOTELS and Holidays have launched one of their biggest points campaigns ever, offering a “Holiday for life”.
Anyone who books a hotel or holiday before July 31 will have the chance to win one million Qantas points every year for the next 20 years.
Here’s what one million Qantas points can buy you:
- Two first class return flights between Sydney and London
- Four business class return flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles
- 62 economy class return flights between Melbourne and Sydney – that’s more than a flight every week for a year
- A 37-day Wonders of the World bucket list holiday with Qantas Tours
- Two Peloton Bikes on Qantas Marketplace
- Four Apple iPhone 13 128GB on Qantas Marketplace
- 71 Bottles of Pommery Kosher Brut Royal Champagne NV on Qantas Wine.
WALTZ INTO THIS GREAT MATILDAS PRIZE
FOOTBALL FANS have the chance to win a stay in a one-of-a-kind, exclusive Matildas-themed penthouse.
The luxury stay is at The Star Grand Hotel in Sydney and is available for two nights to coincide with Australia’s opening World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland on July 20.
The winner will be met by former Matildas player, Michelle Heyman, and get tickets to the opening game.
Styled in striking green and gold, the suite features a giant four-metre-long Matildas scarf and is filled with football themed ornaments and books charting the history of the team. There’s also an in-room foosball table to get into the competitive spirit.
Traditional hotel artwork has been replaced with framed photos of legendary past and present players, alongside autographed jerseys and the real international trophies won by the team, including AFC Women’s Asian Cup, Cup of Nations and the Tournament of Nations.
“This is the ultimate experience for any football fan!” said Michelle Heyman.
“You even get tickets to the Matildas sold out opening game, so overall it’s a money can’t buy experience and an incredible way to get behind the Matildas and celebrate women’s sport here in Sydney.”
To enter, head to The Star website and describe in 25 words or less why Sydney is the best city in the world to see the Matildas play in the upcoming women’s football tournament.
Entries must be received by 9pm on July 12.
