10 June 2008

Tourists flocking to Australia cause extra flights to be scheduled

An extra 36 flights have been scheduled to cater for the swarm of tourists entering Australia for World Youth Day. The annual gathering is to be held in Sydney this year, which will see people on Australian travel visas flood into the country, reports World News Australia.

Sydney Airport Corporation said 36 extra flights, including one charter flight, have been scheduled for the event, at which organisers expect to attract 125,000 people on Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visas. Danny Casey, the Chief Operating Officer, said every flight in the lead up to the event is fully booked.

"World Youth Day is bringing international visitors into Sydney in droves. Sydney is going to come alive this winter with 125,000 young people from more than 170 nations arriving here to celebrate their faith with 100,000 young people from all over Australia," he told the World Youth Day official website. Christopher Brown, the Tourism and Transport Forum Managing Director, said bars, restaurants and hotels are expected to benefit from the tourism boom caused by young people travelling to Australia for the event.

An ETA visa is required for all short-term visitors travelling to Australia. Visa Bureau’s automated application process means that in most cases, they can be granted in seconds.