busnews.com.au May 2018 ABC^29Daimler says there’s a bit of a
long-haul bus boom to be had,
with further growth forecasted. A
slight increase to over 26 million
passengers is expected – with a
2 per cent increase on German
routes and an increase of up to
7 per cent on international routes.
In Germany the route network
is already well developed, with
particularly high-capacity utilisation
on main routes between larger
cities, it must be duly noted.
In essence, its passenger capacity
means the new Setra double-deck
coach is, “the biggest touring coach
from Daimler Buses, making it
ideal for busy long-haul bus routes.
Nowhere [can] more passengers ...
be transported by just one driver
than in a double-decker coach”.
Yet perhaps most interestingly,
according to Daimler, “Young
people in particular tend to see
the touring coach from a whole
new perspective. Reasons include
the high level of comfort and the
cutting-edge internet and media
services on board.”LOCAL DRIVE
If something like the S 531 DT is
primed to maximise the uptake
in European tourism, could not
the same type of vehicle not only
be used in this region for tourism
maximisation – but even increasewhatever is currently occuring? The
ingredients seem available, the
machinations there being mirrored
here. How so? According to recent
statistics from Tourism Australia
(www.tourism.australia.com), for
the month of February 2018, there
were 914,500 visitor arrivals – 16.1
per cent relative to the same period
of the previous year.
In fact, in the bigger picture
there were 8.9 million visitor arrivals
for year ending February 2018, an
increase of 6.6 per cent relative
to the previous year. Importantly,
leisure arrivals (holiday + VFR)
continued to drive international
arrivals growth, with an increase
of 8.1 per cent over the 12-month
period, it’s stated.
Similarly in New Zealand, the
Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment (MBIE, http://www.mbie.
govt.nz) states that as of April 3,
2018, international visitor arrivals
for the year ending February, 2018,Above (L-R):
Perfect for
Australasian wine
region tourism;
Sideguard Assist
in action; What a
great rear!