Travel rush after Gallipoli ballot

The ballot process has now entered a "lock-down" phase to verify applicants' details. Photo / Thinkstock

Travel agents are warning of a rush for flights and accommodation for the 100th anniversary commemoration of Anzac Day in Gallipoli as 286 tickets remain unclaimed.

A spokeswoman for the office of Veterans' Affairs Minister Craig Foss said 286 people had not accepted their double passes as of October 20.

They had until last Saturday to confirm whether they would accept their passes.

The ballot process has now entered a "lock-down" phase to verify applicants details and who had confirmed.

Those who had not taken up the offer of a pass would have it reallocated to another applicant in the waiting list, the spokeswoman said.

By November 10 those still on the waiting list should hear whether they were successful in receiving a reallocated ticket, she said.

"Then they'll be given 28 days to accept or decline that pass."

Innovative Travel spokeswoman Robyn Galloway said tour groups and cruises were also booking up fast and those who are reallocated tickets that were unclaimed in the last ballot will struggle to find available slots.

The tickets give participants access to the dawn service on Anzac Cove and also to Chunuk Blair, where the New Zealand service will be held.

"In addition to this, people need to make their travel arrangements to attend, they need to find available flights and also find a cruise or a tour that's still got availability," Ms Galloway said.

Around 1000 Australians were also due to find out whether they were successful in their ballot for a double ticket or not in the coming week, which would further add to demand, she said.

"Often companies are looking at the same tours or cruises. It is tightening up, definitely, because it's also the European early bird season at the moment as well... a lot of people are taking advantage of that.

"Obviously the cheap tickets have gone a long time ago so people will be paying a high season price....the challenge [now] is actually finding the seats.

"People are going to have to look at getting to Istanbul in different ways. One of the reasons we've got our charter cruise going out of Athens is because it's going to be a little bit easier for people to find tickets to Athens on the 17 of April than it is to find them to Istanbul."

Stephen Parsons of House of Travel still has places available for $9950 per person tour packages.

"We have been working with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and anticipated that there would be people on the waiting list that would need to book late," he said.

A further 15-20 people could join the tour, which has Glyn Harper, Professor of War Studies at Massey University, and military historian Chris Pugsley as tour adviser.

"We'll end up with about 100 people on our tour programme, with a lot of people going who have family histories," Mr Parsons said.

"It's going to be quite a pilgrimage in what really is a true Kiwi story."

New Zealand was awarded 2000 places and Australia 8000 for the commemoration - the ratio based on the relative number of casualties suffered by the two countries during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915.

The ballot ran in four stages - the direct descendant category running first with 100 double passes allocated. Those unsuccessful were entered into the general public category.

The veteran category ran second, allocating another 100 double passes. Those unsuccessful again being entered into the general public category.

The general public category ran third, allocating 750 double passes and remaining applicants were then placed on a wait list.