Australia delivers Eurostar sales boost

Australia delivers Eurostar sales boost
By admin


Australia delivered a near 40% lift in sales revenue for Eurostar in the first half of 2013 as non-European Union traffic again drove growth for the rail operator.

Overall non-EU revenue climbed 17% in the six months to June 30, but local sales outstripped that, growing 37%.

Total passenger numbers climbed 2% to 4.9 million with revenue up 7% to £453m.

The growth was achieved despite a flat first quarter as services were hit by “several extended periods of adverse weather”.

The second quarter saw improved trading with passenger growth of 4%, Eurostar said.

Revenue from leisure sales climbed 8%, partially driven by the launch of new routes, while a marketing campaign targeted at international travellers and focusing on luxury travel helped boost the number of non-EU passengers travelling in Standard Premier.

More than one in 10 of all Standard Premier travellers during the first half originated from international markets, Eurostar said.

Chief executive Nicolas Petrovic said the launch of new routes, including a new winter ski service to the Swiss Alps and a service linking London with Lyon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, were fuelling growth

“A trip on Eurostar continues to be a big draw for international and European travellers alike,” he said. “We have seen a surge in bookings from outside Europe and our new services to Provence has proved a great success with many services running at full capacity.”

The eight week trial of the Provence service was so successful that Eurostar is exploring plans to operate a year-round service.

Business traffic, meanwhile, climbed 3% in the first half with the April-June quarter delivering a “significant” increase in passengers.

Petrovic said the outlook for the business sector was more positive.

“We have seen a return to more normal patterns of business travel which were impacted negatively in the first half of 2012 ahead of the opening of the London 2012 Games,” he said.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

eurostar rail

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