Q: What does the fuel crisis mean for operators working across regional and remote parts of the country?
A: It has really highlighted the value of guided touring, particularly across regional and remote parts of Australia where distances are large and self-driving can become more challenging and costly.
For travellers, guided touring offers a seamless, efficient way to explore these vast and often remote landscapes – guests can sit back and enjoy the journey, knowing everything from fuel costs to local insights are taken care of.
This in turn is allowing tour guide operators like AAT Kings to reinforce the strength of Australia as a touring destination – it’s an opportunity for us to deliver rich, immersive experiences and connect travellers with destinations and stories they may not have discovered on their own.
Ultimately, it’s about continuing to showcase the depth and diversity of Australia through thoughtfully designed, experience-led journeys, even as external conditions shift.
Q: How are guided touring operators navigating the current situation?
A: Guided touring operators like AAT Kings are navigating this situation by staying flexible and focusing on smarter, more considered ways of travel.
For us, that’s really come to life through the continued growth of our small group tours.
With smaller vehicles and more flexible itineraries, these small group tours give us greater efficiency and agility – helping to manage fuel use while still delivering a premium, immersive experience.
From an operational perspective, that flexibility is critical; it allows us to explore more remote or unique locations without the scale and fuel demands of larger coaches, especially important in the current climate.
At the same time, small group touring reinforces the value of all-inclusive, well-planned travel, where guests can relax knowing costly transport, logistics and local expertise are all taken care of.
It also allows us at AAT Kings to lean further into more personalised, experience-led journeys, while continuing to adapt our operations to balance efficiency with the high-quality, memorable experiences our guests expect.
Q: What does this crisis mean for touring businesses in the short term?
A: For us at AAT Kings, all of our tours are operating as scheduled, with no changes to itineraries or guest experience.
Our operations remain smooth and steady across Australia and New Zealand, and we’re not experiencing any issues with fuel supply.
There’s also been no impact on our products – we’re very much operating as normal and are looking ahead with confidence, excited to introduce new experiences as part of our 27/28 season.
Q: Should travellers reconsider their plans if they’re thinking of taking a domestic holiday any time soon?
A: There’s really no need for travellers to reconsider their plans – if anything, it’s a great time to explore Australia and New Zealand with confidence.
AAT Kings is seeing strong demand for guided touring and continued growth in domestic travel, as Australians and New Zealanders choose to explore closer to home, which reflects that.
Guided touring takes away a lot of the stress around planning and logistics, including concerns around fuel costs – instead offering a smart, stress-free way to travel.
At AAT Kings, we also make it easy for guests to book and plan ahead, with a low $200 deposit and flexible booking options if plans do need to change.
Ultimately, it just gives travellers reassurance that they can look forward to their holiday with both certainty and flexibility built in.
Q: Finally, we always talk about the resilience of the travel industry. Is this just another example?
A: Absolutely – this is another strong example of the travel industry’s resilience. While challenges like fuel fluctuations can create short-term pressure, the industry has consistently shown its ability to adapt, evolve and find new ways to deliver value.
For operators like AAT Kings, that means refining operations, leaning into flexible products like small group touring and continuing to focus on high-quality, experience-led travel.
Ultimately, travel is driven by a deep desire to explore and connect, and that doesn’t change.
The industry has weathered great disruptions in the past and each time it has come back stronger – this is simply another moment where adaptability and innovation come to the forefront.
