Queensland tourism industry welcomes Tiger Airways arrivals
Posted by editor (editor) on Jun 10 2010
2010 >>

Queensland Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor has welcomed the arrival of three new Tiger Airways services into Queensland this weekend which will add an additional 5940 seats into the Sunshine State each week.

Mr Lawlor said the launch of the new Tiger Airways’ services between Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Rockhampton was great news for both business and leisure travellers and would make access into Queensland easier and more cost-effective for Victorians and South Australians.

“The new services will result in an additional 33 Tiger Airways flights each week, and effectively represents a 72 percent increase in Tiger Airways’ capacity into Queensland airports,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Tiger Airways already operates 46 flights into Queensland, including services to
Mackay, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton - which equates to approximately 8,200 seats and potential visitors to Queensland each week.

“Having Australia’s most regionally spread population means Queensland is more dependent on airlines than any other state and I applaud Tiger Airways’ commitment to Queensland - particularly our regional areas.”

Mr Lawlor said the additional daily flights on the Melbourne – Brisbane and Adelaide – Brisbane service would not only increase competition on these popular routes would also position Brisbane as an ideal short-break destination.

“With flights starting from just $88 one-way, a weekend break to Brisbane is great value for money,” he said.

Mr Lawlor said according to the most recent National Visitor Survey for the year ended December 2009, Queensland’s popularity as a holiday destination with visitors from Melbourne was on the rise, with holiday visitor numbers increasing 11 percent.

“It’s great to see that Tiger Airways is able to assist in meeting the increased demand and these new flights are the perfect way to kick start a bumper Easter holiday period for Queensland.”

Mr Lawlor said it had been a tough 12 months for the tourism industry, but Queensland was looking forward to welcoming a new generation of visitors to Queensland onboard these new services.

“The State Government is committed to supporting the tourism industry and will continue to work closely with airline partners on a range of options to improve capacity to the Sunshine State,” he said.

“It is airline partnerships and strategic aviation planning such as this that will maintain Queensland’s dominance in the Australian tourism market well into the future.”

Last changed: Jun 10 2010 at 2:35 PM