Articles tagged “australia”

India’s Ola has started operations in two major Australian cities, following hot on the heels of Estonia’s Taxify. The newcomers are exploiting opportunities unlocked when Uber paved the way for increased competition in a market in the tight grip of taxi operators.

Qantas' new pilot academy may address the airline’s needs, but won’t solve an imbalance which has already seen regional Australian airlines cancel and reschedule services. Meanwhile, the government has bowed to pressure and will again grant temporary visas to pilots after scrapping them last year.

Brisbane-based Alliance Airlines continues to see opportunities where others fear to fly. It has done extremely well in Australia’s mining boom, and now aims to grow its tourism activities to shield it from the ups and downs of the resources sector.

Both Qantas and Virgin Australia should have Wi-Fi available on all domestic flights by the end of 2018. While travelers want to stay connected, they probably won’t pay for Wi-Fi, but might choose flights on the basis of internet coverage, especially on longer routes.

Australians have taken to cruising like ducks to water. With around 85 percent of bookings going through travel agents, this sector is providing a shot in the arm for travel retailers hit by falling margins in their bread-and-butter flights and hotels business.

From what we've seen so far, travel brands with Super Bowl teasers are staying away from the culture wars and focusing on sending neutral messages with universal appeal. And while it's important to draw attention to certain issues, it's refreshing to watch light-hearted advertisements, too.

Crocodile Dundee is a nostalgic figure in the U.S., and it appears as though Tourism Australia could be hoping to score with an ad on Super Bowl Sunday. A campaign could get younger and older generations interested in Australia. But would a pricy spot during the Super Bowl be worth it?

With the sharing economy accounting for almost one in three vacation beds in Australia, the impact of Airbnb and Stayz is being widely questioned. But with hotel occupancy levels and room prices still rising, hotels and lobbying groups' efforts to restrict private rentals seem like an overreaction.

A new direct route will change traveler habits on Australia’s west coast and may deliver more market share to Qantas. But, more importantly, it looks set to herald more ultra-long-distance connections between Australia and Europe.

Corporate-booking technology vendors Serko and Concur plan to add natural language bots to their tools. Other players are likely to follow.