Rail Europe has highlighted the “dynamism” of Australia as it confirmed it as one of its most important international markets, coming second only to the US.
In 2013, Australia accounted for 10% of overall sales totalling €49 million in revenue – a 50% increase on 2010 figures when Rail Europe first established an office in Australia.
Overall, the rail distributor reported a 6.5% increase in sales compared with 2012, as it delivered three million rail travellers across the continent’s rail networks over the year.
“2013 was a record year for rail distribution,” chief executive Fabrice Morel told media in Sydney yesterday.
He attributed a large portion of the growth to the introduction of a direct connection with the distribution system of Italian rail operator Trenitalia which has yielded a significant surge in the number of point-to-point bookings thanks to the lower prices and convenience.
However, the rise of point-to-point has coincided with the decline in sales of Eurail passes. The year saw Eurail sales tumble 20%, although that decrease was also caused by the withdrawal of France’s SNCF from the pass which left a “gaping hole” in the product, according to Morel.
“But still that didn't affect our overall results which shows it’s better to have more comprehensive range of products available,” he said.
Top performing routes and passes for the year included Thalys, Italy's high-speed Italo and Trenitalia services, Eurostar, the French TGV and the Swiss Passes.
Rail Europe forecast overall sales growth of 8% for 2014 as it implements a number of new strategies, with the corporate and “gourmet” travel markets particularly within its sights. Australia is expected to play a significant role in ensuring the growth targets are reached, according to Morel.
“The quality of the general sales agents that we have in this country and the partnerships we have in place mean that Australia punches way above its weight as far as we're concerned,” he said. “Hopefully this year, it will continue the trend of very strong growth and will easily surpass €50 million.
New product for the year include the Swiss Peak Pass which journeys to “lesser known” mountain summits in Switzerland, with a number of new high speed rail connections between France and Spain including a six hour connection between Paris and Barcelona.
