| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 28/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 44 |
| Copyright: Other |
Rail travel by Teresa Machan
Operators’ rail sales steam ahead
Clients are keen to stop off, go walkabout, and find out what the country has to offer
RAIL travel is tipped to be one of the biggest growth areas in long-haul travel and demand for rail, and combined rail and coach experiences in Australia is soaring.Increasing numbers of clients are looking to stop off during rail journeys and see more of what Australia has to offer.
Operators have been quick to realise the potential that rail travel offers for city stopover packages and excursions.
AAT Kings’ 2000/2001 rail product offers a wide range of rail-coach combos that give clients the opportunity to build mini-holidays into the journey, or branch off and take independent touring packages that offer flexible dailydepartures.
Director of sales Alistair Bruce said: “Repeated exposure to Australia has led to people becoming more comfortable with frequent independent travel and the demand for independent escorted touring is growing fast.”
Sales for escorted tours are also up by 40%, although exact figures were not available. Bruce said: “The train journeys are great in themselves but once people have crossed the Nullabor and are at the other end, they want to do something. We’ve capitalised on this in our latest brochure.”
An example is the seven to eight-day Ghan and Centre Discovery tour, which offers the Ghan from either Sydney or Melbourne to Adelaide, then on to Alice Springs taking in three days in Alice and two in Ayers Rock. This leads in at £755 ex-Melbourne and £825 ex-Sydney.
Australian Pacific Tours has also expanded its day tour options as well as its four to five-day independent holidays. Covering more destinations than before, the additions include hot-air ballooning in Alice Springs and an exclusive Frankland Islands cruise. All tours use local guides.
Marketing services manager Janice Kurrle said: “The growth in demand for independent tours has been phenomenal; it’s one of the greatest success stories over the last 18 months.
“People want to learn something now. There’s a big educational element.”
Packages are pre-booked but flexible meal plans and daily departures mean clients are not tied into a particular group.
“We’re meeting the demands of people who are wanting more than just coach travel sightseeing by offering more alternatives and more freedom,” said Kurrle.
The big three train journeys – the Ghan, the Indian Pacific and The Queenslander – are all featured by one-stop rail specialist Leisurail, which also features a number of lesser known trains in its dedicated Australasia brochure, as well as a wide range of rail passes for independent travellers.
The East Coast Discovery Pass allows freedom of travel from Sydney or Melbourne to Cairns and Brisbane for six months and costs £145, valid until March 31 next year.
Queensland Rail’s high-speed Tilt Train connects Brisbane and Rockhampton and Leisurail offers stopover options, incorporating the Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village, Fraser Island, or the Rydges Capricorn Resort set in the middle of 22,000 acres of coastal Queensland bush.
Leisurail general manager David Atherton said: “The beauty of rail travel is you are completely independent. Rail can combine with anything – including any other form of motor transport and accommodation – to make a full and flexible holiday experience.”
On track: the trade has been quick to realise the potential that rail travel offers for city stopover packages and excursions
New South Wales: flexible touring options are helping to boost business
New product
n QR Traveltrain has launched a 10-day route from Mount Isa to Longreach, bookable through Leisurail. Travellers depart Brisbane on the Sunlander coach before heading west on the Inlander train to Mount Isa. The trip visits the Gregory River and Lawn Hill National Park and the return to Brisbane is a first-class rail journey on board Spirit of the Outback. Lead-in price of £644 includes accommodation and all coach and rail travel.
n The Hunter Valley wine region, Canberra and the Blue Mountains are among new itineraries being launched by Orient-Express in January. The new tours can be taken as one, two or three-night journeys and add-ons include a helicopter transfer over Sydney harbour and the Blue Mountains. Prices start at £540 per person for theBrisbane-Sydney round-trip.
n The Northern Territory’s profile will be boosted when the missing 881-mile chunk of Australia’s north-south rail network is completed. The Indian Pacific extension, from Alice Springs to Darwin, is estimated for completion by 2003. A spokeswoman for the Northern Territory said: “The Indian Pacific is one of the globe’s great rail journeys and when it stretches across the entire continent it will be a world classic, cutting through the country’s historical heart.” Australia Pacific Tours and AAT Kings have already shown their commitment with dedicated red-centre products.
n The former Bluebird Train, now the Barossa Wine Train, specialises in tailor-made overnight packages in conjunction with day tours. Travel Two, Austravel and Gold Medal feature the train and a two-day Gold Medal package including lunch, a day and a half of wine touring, bed-and-breakfast cottage accommodation and one-way rail journey costs £140 perperson.
n Australian Pacific Tours expanded brochure features a selection of tours departing Ayers Rock, Alice Springs and Darwin, many with daily departures. The Sightsee ‘n’ Save pass offers savings of up to 40% off individual day tours. A four-voucher pass costs £122 for adults and £61 children. The operator has a booking facility on www.aptours.com for trade partners.
n Sixty-year-old McCafferty’s Express coaches has introduced a Sun and Centre pass sold through Travel 2, which goes from Sydney to Cairns and stops at the main East Coast towns up the East coast including Brisbane, the Whitsundays, Cairns, Townsville and across the outback to Mount Isa. Prices start at £160 for a six-month pass.