China-Whitsundays direct
A spokesperson from Whitsunday Marketing and Development says that direct flights between Sydney and Proserpine will help attract tourists from the key, Chinese market to the region.
The new route came about due to demand from backpackers looking to travel quickly and easily to the Great Barrier Reef but, according to the ABC, Whitsunday MD’s chief executive believes the direct flights will also attract many visitors from China and other countries in South East Asia.
“What Chinese tourists predominantly do is they are two destinations travellers, so this will enable them to experience Sydney but also allow them to come up to the Whitsundays to experience the Great Barrier Reef,” said Danial Rochford. “Having that direct access is absolutely critical because they are time-poor tourists.”
Having a direct route from Sydney will also strengthen calls in the region to expand the Proserpine airport.
“We’ve got an ambitious agenda to grow Whitsundays, we want to see the Whitsundays double visitor expenditure by 2020,” he said.
“To do that we need to see new products, new experiences. Access is critical, we need to make sure we can get our visitors in and out of the region.”
Tigerair flights from Sydney direct to Proserpine will commence in April of 2014.
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