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Three weekly services to Guangzhou from November 1 are expected to give Brisbane an increased advantage in the global competition to attract Chinese investment in business, education and tourism. Since the last direct flight to China in 1997, travellers have been forced to stop over in cities such as Sydney, Singapore or Hong Kong. The new flights by China Southern Airlines, China’s largest airline, will provide 3600 seats per month.
China is the state’s fastest growing market with more than 153,000 Chinese visitors last year, up 16 per cent on 2008, according to the state government. Chinese visitors last year injected $287 million into the Queensland economy, about $100 million more than 2008. The figures are expected to increase by 10 per cent per year. China Southern Airlines is expected to announce today more new flights to Australian cities.
Brisbane Airport Corporation and Tourism Queensland has worked for more than a decade to entice a Chinese airline to fly to the Sunshine State. BAC spokesman Jim Carden said seasonal flights between Guangzho, capital of Guangdong Province, which neighbours Hong Kong, and Brisbane since 2008 had proved successful.
"The growth of the Chinese market and Asia broadly has been huge, there’s only so many planes and airlines and crews, so we’ve been competing with other cities," Mr Carden said. "It is probably a sign of the maturing of the market here, both the city and the state, as a tourism and a business destination. I think the outcome for Queensland and Brisbane is really strong, it makes it that much easier to get here and that makes it a more attractive destination."
This is just the start. Our next goal is to convince China Southern to fly daily to Brisbane within the next two years," Ms Alroe said. Direct flights to Thailand and India are also on the company’s agenda.
A massive advertising campaign will promote the flights in Guangzhou and Shanghai, with Queensland images splashed across outdoor screens and on the sides of buses and trains. The flights from China will operate with an A330 aircraft Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sunday. A return schedule has not yet been decided.
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