Although oil prices have ticked up in recent months, they remain well down from their price peak of several years ago, which is continuing to fuel the boom in the record number of Kiwis tripping overseas. Compounding the air fare sizzle is the unprecedented growth in airline competition, with more carriers connecting New Zealand with the world than ever before, dramatically increasing capacity and reach. We’ve never had it so good.

LISTEN TO MIKE YARDLEY WITH JACK TAME ABOVE

In the past year alone, eight new airlines have added New Zealand to their global route map, and the next carrier off the rank is Qatar Airways, who like its neighbouring airline rivals, loves to lay on the frills, with ultra-modern aircraft servicing its routes. Recognised as one of the world’s top performing premium airlines, Qatar is about to eclipse Emirates in the ultra-long haul travel stakes, when its Auckland-Doha non-stop service commences on February 6. The 17 hour scheduled flight time is 30 minutes longer than the non-stop Emirates service to Dubai.

Prior to Christmas, Qatar briefly dangled return airfares to Europe for $1290, to create some pre-launch buzz. Their current Travel Festival deals offer return fares for $1390, which has prompted Emirates to tout similarly razor-sharped airfare specials. Limited in availability as they may be, the fact that premium carriers are offering historically low airfare deals to Europe underscores why many industry experts are calling this the new Golden Age of travel.  If you’re hankering to snap up a bargain fare, expect a fresh round of cut-price Europe airfares to be released in February, from a variety of airlines, for travel through the European summer months.

Speaking of bargain basement, AirfareWatchdog.com is forecasting that ultra-economy fares will emerge as a key travel trend this year, whereby many full-service carriers will offer new fare structures enabling you to pay less, if you don’t have luggage to check-in or carry-on. Air New Zealand has offered seat-only fares for quite some time, but United is taking the next step with its basic economy fares, which prohibit you from placing any carry-on luggage in the overhead locker. Expect the trend to go forth and multiply.

Meanwhile, Expedia has produced some interesting insights into how to score the cheapest airfares. Around the world, Tuesday is typically considered the quietest day to fly, with aircraft far less likely to be full. But if you want to snag a low fare, Expedia reckons Sunday is the best day to actually the flight. Fares can be like frogs, they hop around the place. But apparently Sunday is the day when you sharper-priced fares are most likely to be displayed on booking sites.          

If you’re a plane-spotter like me, you’ll have certainly noticed the proliferation of next-generation aircraft at our airports, notably the Dreamliner, the A380 and the A350. Along with the quieter cabins, superior air filtration systems and mood lighting, the shiny new planes are also sporting much greater connectivity. Whether it’s watching live cable news channels in-flight, or making use of the in-flight WiFi, no longer are you off the grid at 35,000 feet.

Cathay Pacific is the latest to offer these services after launching its fancy new A350 on the Auckland run to Hong Kong. Surprisingly, Air New Zealand has been a very slow follower on the tech front, supposedly because they wanted to be sure the technology would be rock-solid reliable. It’s believed both Air New Zealand and Qantas will roll out WiFi on domestic and international services later this year. 

If you’re wondering about the future of flight, the next “big thing”, may well be the resumption supersonic travel. Colorado-based Boom has been developing a Concorde-style aircraft, which tackles the horrendous noise levels that bedevilled the Concorde and also keeps the lid on the affordability of flying in a supersonic jet. They’re confident that these 45-seater aircraft is on track for commercial launch next year. If it was brought to New Zealand, flight time between Auckland and California would be just five hours. And a hop across the Tasman would take just 60 minutes.

Where will 2017 take you? What destinations are trending according to the travel industry?  There’s no doubt that all the buzz was about Cuba last year. And the fashionable love affair with Latin America is set to continue this year, with the world rediscovering Colombia. Kiwis are also venturing to the likes of Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil in record numbers. In Asia, Myanmar is still buzzing, as is China ( with so many carriers competing for your affection), while Japan and South Korea are very on-trend. On the intrepid front, travel enquiries about Iceland and Iran are through the roof.    

Something I find quite curious, if not a little sad, is all the talk across the Tasman is about promoting indigenous tourism. The marketers at Tourism Australia have finally woken up to the enormous potential of touting indigenous tourism experiences, as a unique selling point for Australia. The fact that it’s seemingly taken them so long to fully embrace the cultural richness of Australia’s First People as an attractive tourism proposition is cringe-worthy. But hey, better late than never. Whether you’re in Sydney, Uluru or the Sunshine Coast, you’ll notice a real push is underway to promote indigenous tourism experiences.

Within our own country, tourism continues to flourish as the nation’s No.1 earner, but two interesting trends that are absolutely exploding are astro-tourism and cycling. We are so blessed to have the Mackenzie Region, globally-acclaimed as the first Gold-rated International Dark Sky Reserve. Astro-tourism is a boom business. 3 million people flocked to the Mackenzie last year, to savour a sky full of stars, glittering with clarity, like few places on Earth. In addition to the Mt. John operations, a variety of new astro-tourism encounters are being developed across the Mackenzie this year – even the Fairlie to Twizel is about to be officially renamed the Starlight Highway.

Speaking of the road, who knew that John Key’s cycle ways project, hatched in the throes of the global financial crisis, would prove to be such a masterstroke? Eight years on, the last of the 22 Great Rides in the New Zealand Cycle Trail is about to be officially opened: the Twin Coast Cycle Trail across Northland.  And the real beauty of these cycle trails is not only have they prised open so much of our hinterland, but they have proven to be a job-creating godsend for so many sleepy small towns, from Featherston in the Wairarapa to Ross on the West Coast.  Those cycling trails are, undeniably, a new found jewel in our tourism crown. A taxpayer gift that keeps on giving.