An exchange of emails with a travel company throws up an interesting reply.
Remember this is $8640 per couple and would probably pay for business class travel from the USA!
More here
From: Gerry Bond [mailto:gerry@ryhill.net]
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 1:57 PM
To: Lisa Ralph
Subject: Cairns – land only
Is it a mistake? Are you asking $4320pp to stay in a hotel which can be booked for 138AUD per night (for two)?
(16 Nov – The price is now up a bit at $376 for a double room)
Gerry
Gerry,
Thanks for your question. The 4,320.00 per person is for the 5 nights stay in Cairns.
This is 3 nights in the hotel and 2 nights at the eclipse site. Also included are all transfers, meals and two days of sightseeing.
Here is the itinerary:
http://www.spearstravel.com/astronomy/australia12/aus2012cairnsitin.htm
I don’t disagree with you that you could probably book that hotel for that price but not during this eclipse.
The hotels are talking FULL advantage of everybody traveling to Australia for this eclipse. I have been doing these trips for 20 years and it seems like the markup on the locations keeps getting worse every year. There isn’t anything I can do about it. They ask for big money upfront and minimum stays.
I hope you understand?
Thanks again.
