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The Mood Lifter: 5 Reasons To Feel Good About Travel This Week

In a world of uncertain, unprecedented, uncomfortable (insert latest cliché) times, it's essential to stay positive and focus on the small wins. Here's my rundown of five developments that have given us all at Karryon some fresh optimism this week. Hopefully, they have for you too.

In a world of uncertain, unprecedented, uncomfortable (insert latest cliché) times, it’s essential to stay positive and focus on the small wins. Here’s my rundown of five developments that have given us all at Karryon some fresh optimism this week. Hopefully, they have for you too.

Spring is here, the situation in Victoria is improving, as are restrictions and it ‘feels’ as though the now very rusty wheels of the travel industry are beginning to turn again. Albeit slowly, but they’re moving at least.

Here’s five notable topics worth a smile. Have a fantastic weekend.

1. Arrival caps should be lifting to 6,000 from next Friday

Qatar-Airways_interior

It’s been the controversially hot topic of the week(s) and for good reason.

With anywhere between 27,000 – 100,000 stranded Australians the world over trying to get home, Amnesty International claims Australia could be breaching international human rights laws that guarantee people’s ability to return to their home country.

In an announcement yesterday, PM Scott Morrison said the number of people allowed into Australia each week would increase by 2,000 from the current 4,000 to 6,000 seats per week from next Friday, though the government still has to get buy-in from individual states and territories who will have to house the extra arrivals in hotel quarantine.

Here’s hoping common sense prevails, and that actually, the cap is safely lifted even further.

READ: Arrival Seat Caps To Lift From 4,000 – 6,000 Per Week

READ: For The Care Of Australians Everywhere: Please Lift The Caps Now

2. First actual tours back spark huge response

APT

First, it was the news from Intrepid and their Daintree Retreat Tour last week, and this week, APT celebrated their first tour back since March in Outback Queensland.

Both stories went nuts here on Karryon and especially on our Facebook page with thousands applauding the great news that people’s desire for travel is just as strong as ever.

If this is a brief sign of things to come, bring it on.

3. Qantas’ flight to nowhere sells out in ten minutes

Qantas 100 Incentive
Qantas Dreamliner 787-9

More good news. The general public miss flying! Frequent Flyers miss flying! We all miss flying!

In case you missed all the hullabaloo yesterday, Qantas launched a seven-hour, border-free scenic flight across Australia, flying on one of its beautiful Dreamliner 787-9’s – The Great Southern Land.

And the demand was… Err, huge. So much so that when tickets for the flight went live at noon yesterday, it sold out in under ten minutes.

Singapore Airlines are reportedly also considering three-hour flights ‘to nowhere’ out of Changi Airport on their A350 aircraft in response to demand for flights to literally anywhere right now. Perhaps get that going now SQ? Just an idea.

Changi Airport, Singapore
Changi Airport, Singapore

And finally… Air New Zealand saw record demand for their $50 seat sale this week. With 160,000 flights up for grabs across their network, the fares sold faster than you could say Kia Ora.

All of this anecdotally says to us that the majority of us are ready to travel again.

As the fear of COVID-19 begins to decrease (locally at least) and confidence in travel health and safety rises, this can all only be a fantastic thing for starting to re-energise the travel industry going again.

4. Travel giants put the pressure on Queensland to safely reopen the border

Cairns_airport
Cairns Airport

Flight Centre and Helloworld Travel have teamed up with Qantas and Virgin to press Queensland politicians to act in order to save their businesses from financial ruin by reopening the border asap.

In October, the four travel giants will run a combined four-week advertising campaign to coincide with Queensland’s state elections, scheduled for Saturday, October 31.

“One thing we know is we have to live with this virus; it will be with us for some years.”

Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, GM Flight Centre Travel Group

The joint campaign will coincide with the Queensland Government’s own campaign, ‘Make Queensland Great’ which will encourage people to shop locally, with the same aim to support local business and economic growth.

This on top of Qantas and Jetstar’s campaign to ‘Save the travel industry’ and the recent Save Aussie Tourism campaign urging Australia’s borders to safely reopen.

READ: UNITED: Flight Centre, Helloworld, Qantas and Virgin Urge Queensland Reopening

5. Footsteps For Food: James McAlloon is about to finish his incredible $30,000 raising journey for charity

Footsteps For Food

There are heroes and there are LEGENDS. And not only do they wear capes but often, they also wear hi-viz vests to ensure they don’t get run over when they’re on the road walking over 3,000 kilometres for good.

Chimu Adventures’ Relationship Manager for Queensland, James McAlloon, is set to cross the finish line in Uluru on Saturday 19 September after an epic THREE MONTH solo Footsteps For Food trek from the Sunshine Coast, raising money for South American families impacted by COVID-19.

Walking up to 60kms per day, throughout his entire journey, McAlloon has maintained a smile on his face as he’s encountered the many wonderful souls of remote Australia and adapted his plans around the challenges he’s faced.

“It’s quite surreal to finally be so close to the end of achieving something that was so far beyond my imagination, yet sad that what has been my life for the last 3 months is only a week from being over.”

James McAlloon

Chimu
Bidding farewell to friends and colleagues on 1 July from the Sunshine Coast

Before the legend that is James McAlloon completes his incredible journey, Chimu Adventures is running a Win A Trip To Antarctica Raffle as a final incentive to get behind the inspiring Footsteps For Food movement and make a real difference to people in need.

Purchasing a ticket for the Win A Trip To Antarctica Raffle now!

Click here for more information and follow James’ journey on Facebook.

What did we miss? Email us at editor@karryon.com.au with your good news and don’t forget to join our ever-optimistic ‘Together In Travel’ Facebook group for more uplifting stories.