Airfares to destinations such as Fiji, Hong Kong and Bali have come down in price during the last two years, as operators conduct a discount war to attract holidaymakers..
An Australian travel group recently analysed the prices of 30 international flights from Sydney this month and compared them with the same flights two years ago. Fifteen of those fares tumbled in price since 2009, even as fuel costs have increased.
Of the 30 fares, six had increased by 10 per cent and one by more than 25 per cent. However, other fares had been discounted heavily, including a 31 per cent reduction for flights to Auckland, 21 per cent on Fiji fares and 16 per cent for Bali.
Other cheaper destinations from Australia included Hong Kong (down 22 per cent), Athens (25 per cent cheaper) and Dublin (down 15 per cent).
“Generally, fares remain well below historic highs and in many instances are cheaper now than they were during the economic downturn of 2008/09,” said survey sponsor Flight Centre’s Colin Bowman
This has led holidaymakers the world over to take more mid- or long-haul holidays, though this trend has been found particularly true for Australians.
“Of course, the Australian dollar’s current strength is another significant benefit for travellers taking off overseas at the moment,” he said. “Together, these two factors have created an environment in which Australian travellers have been able to secure some of the best value for money holidays we have seen.”
