Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[dajop]

for who ?

The public, or most of it, is now getting sick of hearing pollies say we've saved you, while tourism businesses go down the toilet.

The public and gutless politicians Just keep the nasty foreigners out. If there was a will there would already be different treatment based on risk by now. But there’s not.

I’ve read too many stories about bubbles with low risk countries that not only don’t eventuate - but there’s scant evidence that they’re even being considered in a serious manner. Prefer not to raise false hope. Three months is too soon.

 

[bcworld]

The Feds need the states to get on board with a policy and that is where the problem lies, only NSW is keen to open up and understands that a zero case goal is unrealistic even if 100% of people are vaccinated.

Is this the same NSW that cancelled the Bluesfest after a single case in Byron Bay?

 

[ayushamity]

Vaccinated Australians may be able to go overseas with home quarantine

So the Federal Government is again putting forward the idea

Its like they are testing the waters to see what reaction they get for the different angles and then will decide which angle will make them the most popular

Post automatically merged: May 13, 2021

Plan to welcome students back to Australia 'underway'

And here come the international students

 

[openseat]

The public and gutless politicians Just keep the nasty foreigners out. If there was a will there would already be different treatment based on risk by now. But there’s not.

It's no surprise after 25 years of demonising refugees for political reasons by both sides.

 

[ayushamity]

A snippet from an article below

'Australians who will be absent from key family events abroad because of the continuing ban - or miss seeing their young relatives grow up - took to social media to vent their fury at the lengthy delay as other countries open up.'

As and when countries open up, resentment will start to build in Australia over staying closed

Most people are accepting of borders being closed for health reasons, but they see right through the politics

 

[mviy]

I get that people are upset. I'm one of them. I'm still yet to see any evidence that we've become the majority rather than an upset minority. Until that flips we're not likely to see a lot of change.

 

[OATEK]

I get that people are upset. I'm one of them. I'm still yet to see any evidence that we've become the majority rather than an upset minority. Until that flips we're not likely to see a lot of change.

What gets me is how the press are too often framing overseas travel as "leisure" travel. Until we see the narrative build around family reunion, nothing much will change.

 

[mviy]

Some are talking about family reunion a lot e.g. commentators on Sky News. For example, at least one of Andrew Bolt's kids is overseas that he would like to visit.

 

[drron]

Some are talking about family reunion a lot e.g. commentators on Sky News. For example, at least one of Andrew Bolt's kids is overseas that he would like to visit.

It is intriguing to see Andrew Bolt and the Guardian agreeing with each other.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What gets me is how the press are too often framing overseas travel as "leisure" travel. Until we see the narrative build around family reunion, nothing much will change.

I don't know if the government going on about how business travel should automatically get priority is helping much either? I don't think there's much sympathy for the line that business travel 'isn't really a holiday', or that it's 'more a chore than pleasure'. (In these circumstances any time out of Australia would be a welcome relief.)

 

[Flashback]

I think Qantas is now right on the money & we will be able to go almost anywhere in the world by mid Dec 2021, as long as you've had your shots.

However, I think instead of daily flights to LA from BNE, SYD, MEL, we might see Qantas start with say 3 or 4 a week & be routed via awful SYD other days. Demand will determine frequency & that all depends on govt announcements. If the govt says in July or August, everyone can go to UK, USA etc. if had shots, then that a decent lead time. If they wait until Oct, that's not much lead time.

So we can go to NZ now & Cook Islands is open to kiwis from next week (not sure if that means we can go to Cook Islands via NZ). Singapore, Fiji & many other places very soon. No restrictions now on us going to UK(no quarantine as long as have had shots) but we can't leave here, not sure why.

Not true at all, being vaccinated does not avoid you to skip quarantine in the UK. Also, unless you're on a direct flight to here from Australia or going via SIN then you certainly will be either self isolating or in hotel quarantine.

The tourism industry is furious with the WA and QLD governments and yet they were re-elected easily. Whilst I think a majority of AFF members are furious about the impact on the tourism industry, clearly the public at large have been shown to be in favour of closures.

I hope you're right and that would be consistent with suppression, but whilst the Feds give lip service to saying suppression is still the policy, their actions are inconsistent with that.

The domestic tourism industry is booming, prices are up across the board and people are paying them so the impact is not as big as suggested.

 

[Lynda2475]

Once you leave for "business reasons" there is naught to stop you from tacking a holiday onto the trip.

If there are suitable procedures in place such as vaccination with home quarantine on return or pre-paid HQ (if not vaccinated or coming form high risk location) then it really shouldn't matter why someone wants to travel. For many people their friends overseas are more like family than blood relatives.

 

[dajop]

Once you leave for "business reasons" there is naught to stop you from tacking a holiday onto the trip.

If there are suitable procedures in place such as vaccination with home quarantine on return or pre-paid HQ (if not vaccinated or coming form high risk location) then it really shouldn't matter why someone wants to travel. For many people their friends overseas are more like family than blood relatives.

They could at least start by allowing vaccinated Australian residents to go overseas and set up extra, separate HQ for their return (over and above the existing caps) and collect good data over a couple of months as to risk of moving to home quarantine. But as long as risk is >0.001% the appetite for an approach like this is not there.

 

[jakeseven7]

I don't know if the government going on about how business travel should automatically get priority is helping much either?

But it already is and it’s accepted and there isn’t an uproar so why on earth would that change suddenly.

 

[dajop]

The domestic tourism industry is booming, prices are up across the board and people are paying them so the impact is not as big as suggested.

The takings from Airbnb/Stayz bookings at our holiday home on the coast SW of a Melbourne are about 45% higher for this Feb-June vs 2019 (we excluded Jan as it’s always heavily booked). Anecdotal but not just a rounding error.

 

[bcworld]

The domestic tourism industry is booming, prices are up across the board and people are paying them so the impact is not as big as suggested.

Yup...I happen to find myself between jobs in June with a week break. Being in Melbourne obvs I look north in June!

Flights are OK and not outrageous but the availability and price of accommodation (and the standard of remaining accomm in some places) is fairly horrendous. And then there's car hire which is generally running at about $200/day in Cairns & Darwin. I checked in on Broome and the Cable Beach resort has a pop-up saying its fully booked until October!

I also found that I could get myself to Darwin and compromise on hotel there was literally no tours available to book out to the national parks...looking for a 3 day option, not a day trip. I understand there are also all kinds of labour shortages, particularly affecting the tropical locations. In the end I'm going to FNQ...the resort I am staying at in Port Douglas is only operating the restaurant 5 days a week due to 'severe labour shortages'. I'm told this is also a problem at the venues in town...presumably this is due to zero working holidaymakers left in the country.

Anyway, a bit of a digression...maybe the masses will get more upset by the impact on domestic holiday prices!

 

[JohnPhelan]

Each week I walk through the centre of Surfers Paradise - Surfers Paradise Blvd - on the Gold Coast.

Last week I counted the numbers of shops/cafes open.

I walked directly past 107 business premises. 52 of them were either closed or empty, many of them with "For Lease" signs up. So that's almost half of those businesses in one major tourist precinct gone, almost all of them never to return.

(It looked like only about 5 of them were just closed for the duration of Covid and were hoping to return - stock and fittings still in place.)

 

[PerthPaul]

NSW needs international students

And most people in NSW are not that brainwashed unlike WA/QLD

Brainwashed…. Look in the mirror….

 

[Flashback]

can't find the article which said Australians can get into UK from 17 May without quarantine, but this similar ........

UK Government reopens international travel for green-list nations

The UK Government has announced that international travel at its airports will gradually reopen from 17 May for travelling to green-list countries.

www.airport-technology.com

Have you actually read the article, plus my previous post? As soon as you transit through somewhere other than SIN e.g. HKG, DXB, DOH, etc. you trigger the Amber and Red category. As I said, unless you're on a direct flight from Australia with no transit, or you transit via SIN you will be self-isolating (Amber) or in hotel quarantine (red).

The takings from Airbnb/Stayz bookings at our holiday home on the coast SW of a Melbourne are about 45% higher for this Feb-June vs 2019 (we excluded Jan as it’s always heavily booked). Anecdotal but not just a rounding error.

This matches what I've seen, accommodation I looked at that I had booked last year has gone up 35% in price.

Each week I walk through the centre of Surfers Paradise - Surfers Paradise Blvd - on the Gold Coast.

Last week I counted the numbers of shops/cafes open.

I walked directly past 107 business premises. 52 of them were either closed or empty, many of them with "For Lease" signs up. So that's almost half of those businesses in one major tourist precinct gone, almost all of them never to return.

(It looked like only about 5 of them were just closed for the duration of Covid and were hoping to return - stock and fittings still in place.)

I think what that shows is that SP is more of a foreign tourist destination, that Australians will generally avoid. So of course there will be some areas like that, but on the whole domestic tourism is alive and well and going boom boom boom. You can understand why from an economic perspective with that scenario and Iron Ore prices the highest they've ever been most of the population are in the frame of mind of "it's alright mate, keep the borders closed!".

 

[bcworld]

Each week I walk through the centre of Surfers Paradise - Surfers Paradise Blvd - on the Gold Coast.

Last week I counted the numbers of shops/cafes open.

I walked directly past 107 business premises. 52 of them were either closed or empty, many of them with "For Lease" signs up. So that's almost half of those businesses in one major tourist precinct gone, almost all of them never to return.

(It looked like only about 5 of them were just closed for the duration of Covid and were hoping to return - stock and fittings still in place.)

Yes I had the misfortune of being there over Easter...coupled with the endless rain it was fairly depressing! However, just down the tram line in Broadbeach everything seems absolutely fine and bustling.