Australia Aviation & Tourism Leaders Panel: Helping drive international tourism

Australia’s tight border restrictions and strict COVID-19 health measures meant the recovery of international travel lagged well behind the domestic market. However, with Australia’s borders now largely open and testing requirements easing, international travel has returned to approximately 50% of pre-pandemic levels. Local and foreign airlines are increasingly restoring international links with Australia, but attracting international tourists requires a lot more than just adding more flights and seats.

In this important discussion we hear directly from key Australian Aviation & Tourism Leaders as they look to drive international recovery even further. 

• What are the key triggers to get passengers and travelling again?

• How is the industry managing increased capacity? 

• What support can the government provide to ensure the industry can manage this increase?

Moderator: APAC Network, Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder, Oriel Morrison

• South Australian Tourism Commission, Executive Director of Destination Development, Nick Jones
• Austrade, General Manager - Visitor Economy and Client Programs Division, Samantha Palmer
• ACT Government, Chief Minister, Andrew Barr

Fiji Airways, Executive Manager Strategy, Networks and Alliances, John Checketts

• Partnership Travel Consulting, Regional Director Australia, Virginia Fitzpatrick

South Pacific re-opening scenarios – prospects for the tourism recovery

The South Pacific island states are among the countries which are the most dependent on tourism to support their economies. In 2019, there were 2.3 million visitor arrivals to the region, generating USD4 billion in spending, contributing nearly 8% to regional GDP. 2020 and 2021 were disastrous, with 2020 tourism arrivals down 82.7% and arrivals for the first nine months of 2021 down 91.8%.

Some of the South Pacific’s major source markets (Australia, New Zealand, the US) have reopened their borders, but others (China, India) have either remain closed or are only partially open.

What are the prospects for the recovery of tourism in the South Pacific in 2022?

Which markets are Island States targeting and what are the key strategies they are following?

Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Head of Research, Simon Elsegood

Panel:

• Fiji Airways, MD & Executive Manager Strategy, Networks and Alliances, John Checketts
  
• Air Niugini, CEO, Bruce Alabaster

Your essential checklist for a successful return to travel

As corporates look to begin travelling again, the landscape of the industry looks very different to what it did pre-pandemic. The traveller journey itself is more complex and companies with a mobile workforce have new standards to meet for traveller duty of care and a different set of criteria to address when it comes to risk management.

In this important discussion, we bring together industry leaders to help travel managers navigate the post-pandemic travel landscape.  

• The new traveller journey - what does it involve and how are TMCs supporting clients?

• What’s at stake for companies with a mobile workforce when it comes to duty of care and risk management?

• What role does the TMC have in a post-pandemic world?

• What role will innovation and technology have on the future of corporate travel?

• How are companies pivoting towards carbon neutrality?

• What are the toolkits that travel managers will need to be successful to measure and report on carbon footprints and reduce the overall impact of travel on the environment?

• APNIC, Business Services Manager, Jan Argarin
• Mineral Resources Authority, Travel & Procurement Coordinator, Mary Nicholas
• Envest, Executive Director, David Wills

Serko, Technical Solutions Consultant, Jess Ogley

Asia Travel Recovery - How, what, when? 

Asia recovery continues to be watched very closely by the rest of the world. For carriers in the region, strict and enduring travel restrictions (notably in China), along with an uneven vaccine rollout, have seen the region lag in the recovery to date. As the restrictions diminish, travel demand is expected to increase quickly.

China was the world’s largest outbound travel market in 2019, accounting for around 1 in every five dollars spend globally. However, the country’s near zero tolerance approach to COVID has proven a significant obstacle to a resumption in inbound and outbound travel, and Chinese nationals have indicated a strong preference for travel only to destinations where there is a very low risk of COVID transmission. Australasia – particularly the South Pacific island states – will depend on a recovery in Chinese outbound travel if there is to be any hope of a proper recovery for their tourism markets.

In this session, we further understand the recovery in Asia, how airlines are performing and what opportunities exist for attracting airlines and tourism to the South Pacific. 

Moderator: Aviation Week, Senior Air Transport Editor - Asia-Pacific, Adrian Schofield

• Japan Airlines, VP Asia Oceania Region, Strategy Research, Akihide Yoguchi
• PNG Air, CCO, Simon Pitt
• CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Head of Research, Simon Elsegood

Business travel recovery profile

COVID-19 saw businesses drastically curtail corporate travel, with some eliminating all bar essential trips. Business travel is returning, but the pandemic produced a structural change in the way it operates. With the move to remote working, near universal adoption of video-conferencing technology, greater corporate focus on sustainability/emissions and duty of care, new layers of executive approvals and ongoing reluctance concerning face to face meetings, what does the future of business travel look like?

Moderator: Envest, Executive Director, Steve Limbrick

Panel:

• LEK Consulting, Partner, Emily Davis
• CTM, General Manager VIC & TAS, Susan Connor
• Optus, Corporate & Finance Operations Manager, Lisa Ashton

Consumers are at the heart of digital transformation and the pandemic has only accelerated the shift as we enter a new era of travel and aviation. Digital retailing and e-commerce, backed by sophisticated IT platforms, continue to be a focus for the entire industry.

We are starting to see how effective the non-travel online retailers, like Amazon, have been – and they’ve grown their wallet share substantially. These new players have gathered more data and learned more about us over the past two years than ever before and the worry is, for a heavily indebted and struggling airline industry – can it keep up and regain its fair share of the ‘economic wallet’ and unlock new revenue streams, as well as meeting shifting customer needs.

Airlines are at a disadvantage in that their starting point are often ageing tech systems of IT platforms, software and hardware. Added to this, an ever-more demanding customer, who wants greater ticketing flexibility, instant refunds, better service, disruption recovery that’s fast and effective and a seamless online and journey experience. The digital experience expectation also extends into the role of the airline’s loyalty programme, as well as its alliances and partnerships.

New selling strategies are also going to be key for the region. From branded fares to subscription services, airlines are shifting the ways they sell tickets.

• How is the distribution chain adapting to changing strategies?
• What are other trends in selling that are emerging that will work well in this region?
• What are some of the creative approaches that airlines take to leverage their loyalty programs?
• How can airlines flip the global flight credits conundrum into a customer engagement opportunity?

Moderator: Skyscanner, VP Commercial, Hugh Aitken

• IBS Software, VP & Region Head, Sunil George
• Travelport, Head of Asia Pacific, Air Partners, Sue Carter

Sustainability & ESG

Sustainability has waxed and waned as an issue for aviation for years, but COVID-19 amplified scrutiny around ESG, bringing it into the corporate mainstream and expanding awareness among consumers, investors and policy makers. The aviation industry already has ambitious targets in place to manage its emissions growth and move towards net zero emissions, but pressure continues to build on the sector to invest to accelerate these efforts.

How does the sector ensure its compatibility with the new corporate ESG focus, particularly emissions and social factors? Where should it focus to meet public demands around sustainability/emissions and address a growing perception gap around its environmental performance?

Moderator: Envest, Executive Director, David Wills

• Adelaide Airport, Managing Director, Brenton Cox
• University of South Australia, Lecturer and Researcher in Aviation, Dr Mirjam Wiedmann
• LEK Consulting, Partner, George Woods

Australia’s domestic and regional market situation – a review

With Omicron behind us and state borders reopened, Australia’s domestic market is undergoing a round of rapid growth and transformation. Virgin Australia’s fall into administration and the pandemic response of Qantas/Jetstar create significant space in the market. With domestic demand now nearly recovered, a new battle for market share is heating with up new entrants Rex and Bonza seek to challenge the incumbent operators. This has the potential to trigger the kind of fare war last seen in the Australian domestic market in 2016.

• ASM Australasia, Director, Jayne Davey
  
• ASM Australasia, Director, Hans Mitterlechner

• Virgin Australia Group, CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka
  

CAPA Exclusive: Virgin Australia Group leadership on recovery and strategy

Join executives from Virgin Australia in this exclusive panel discussion. Hear the latest on recovery, market analysis and future strategy for the carrier. 

Virgin Australia is Australia’s second-largest airline and one of the few carriers that has managed to successfully diversify across the airline value chain. Since launching in 2000 as Virgin Blue - then wholly owned by the Virgin Group - Virgin Australia has moved away from its LCC origins to become a network carrier with integrated regional and international operations.

Now under the control of Bain Capital following its exit from voluntary administration in 2021, the carrier has resumed operations on its domestic network as well as short haul international operations. It has reimagined around a 30% market share of the profitable Australian domestic market, with ambitions to return to its previous share of around 33%. 

• Virgin Australia Group, CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka
• Virgin Australia Group, CFO, David Marr
• Virgin Australia Group, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Alistair Hartley

CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Commercial Director, Claudia Kunz

Recovery across the Regions: How have different sectors performed over the last 2.5 years

Moderator: ASM Australasia, Director, Hans Mitterlechner

Panel:

• Albury City Airport, Airport Operations, Nick Politis
• Emerald Airport, Manager, Salomon Kloppers
  
• Rex, Executive Director, Chris Hine
• Cairns Airport, Manager Aviation & Business Development, David Nye

EVTOL: How far have we come in the last 12 months

Short haul electric aircraft offer potentially the greatest revolution in aviation since the introduction of the jet engine. With the promise of helicopter-like performance and car-like costs to operate, the EVTOL concept is no longer just the playground of a few ambitious start-ups. Major aerospace OEMs, global technology firms, major car manufacturers and others are now investing billions of dollars in what they hope will be the next major frontier for aviation.

Moderator: ASM Australasia, Director, Jayne Davey

• ASML Aero, Founder & CEO, Andrew Moore
• Brisbane Airport Corporation, Executive General Manager Aviation, Ryan Both
• EVE Air Mobility, Regulation & Public Policy, Robert Weaver
• Invest Victoria, Engagement Lead, Advanced Air Mobility, Dale Sheridan
• Sydney Seaplanes, Founder & CEO, Aaron Shaw