Avis Launches Reduced One-Way Car Rentals Along the Coral Coast Highway

The Coral Coast Highway, from Perth to Exmouth is a popular driving route and showcases some of Australia's most spectacular landscapes and experiences. Due to the distance from Perth to Exmouth, many visitors won't drive back up to Perth after reaching Exmouth. Avis Australia wants to help make the road trip more accessible and affordable for drivers renting vehicles and has launched a new rental plan.

Commencing 1st April 2019, one of the world's best-known car rental companies, will be offering one-way rentals between Perth and Exmouth with a reduced relocation fee. The current relocation fee, additional to the standard daily car hire rates and conditions, to pick-up a vehicle is Exmouth and return it in Perth, or vice versa, currently costs $1,000.

For a trial period from 1st April to 31st October in 2019 and 2020, customers will only pay a $250.00 relocation fee if hiring a car to drive from Perth to Exmouth, and $150.00 if hiring from Exmouth and dropping the vehicle back in Perth. Qantas Airlines, a mobility partner of Avis Australia, have 12 flights per week to Learmonth Airport utilising fast and comfortable F100 jets, making the return journey easy.

According to David O'Malley, Chief Executive of Australia's Coral Coast, this initiative will prove extremely popular with our domestic and overseas leisure markets. Demand for a better one-way deal, especially from the UK and Europe, has been strong for many years now. He added that there is a high level of excitement among our tourism trade partners, with many having waited to offer their customers the reduced hire car rate.

Mr O'Malley said that the commencement of the Avis initiative aligns perfectly with the promotion of the Coral Coast Highway, Western Australia's newest driving route, with both initiatives complementing Tourism Western Australia's significant Road Trip State activity.

Western Australian Tourism Minister, Paul Papalia, congratulated Australia's Coral Coast and Avis Australia on this “game changing” initiative.

He said: “I met with trade representatives in London last year who said the relocation fees were making travel to Exmouth too expensive for some visitors, so this trial is great news.

“The drive between Perth and Exmouth is an iconic West Australian road trip, one that many locals have enjoyed,” Mr Papalia said. “The region is home to two World Heritage-listed areas and visitors can stop along the way to see the dolphins at Monkey Mia, view the ancient stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, take a stroll on one of the world's only beaches made entirely of shells and, of course, explore the biggest fringing reef on the planet at Ningaloo.

“This initiative will make it more attractive for interstate and international holiday makers to discover the treasures that West Australians have been enjoying for years.”

Tom Mooney, Managing Director, Pacific, Avis Budget Group, said: “At Avis Budget Group we're always looking for ways to enhance the customer experience and improve our mobility service. We're really looking forward to launching this trial and helping many more customers enjoy what the Coral Coast road trip experience has to offer.”

Information about the one-way hire deal can be found on Australia's Coral Coast website: www.coralcoasthighway.com or Avis 136 333 (Australia).