TOURISM BOOM AS MORE AIRLINES FLY TO NSW

Almost one million extra seats are on offer from seven international airlines flying to Sydney, providing a massive boost to tourism during the busy summer months.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said these airlines will provide a huge economic benefit to Sydney and Regional NSW accommodation, restaurants, retailers, visitor attractions and major events.

“Our State is Australia’s home of international travel, and the NSW Government through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, has developed key international partnerships to attract the world’s best airlines,” Mr Ayres said.

International visitors to NSW spent more than $8 billion during the last 12 months, an increase of 15 per cent in the last year, with a significant jump in visitors from China.

“The major events we continue to attract, and the important relationships we have developed with the airlines and key inbound tourism operators around the world are key to this significant growth in visitor numbers,” Mr Ayres added.

New services by All Nippon Airways (ANA), Xiamen Airlines, Solomon Airlines, American Airlines, Indonesia AirAsia X, Hainan Airlines and Qatar Airways will result in more than 980,000 seats in the next 12 months, providing an estimated 
$400 million economic injection of visitor expenditure to NSW.

“Last week we were delighted to welcome the first new Xiamen Airlines services to Sydney, and tomorrow the first ANA flights will begin, offering daily direct Tokyo Haneda-Sydney services, bringing thousands of new visitors to NSW.”

Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather said: “Sydney Airport is the nation’s leading airport for new airline services, and the world’s leading airport for Chinese long-haul airlines, with six carriers serving eight mainland Chinese cities by the end of this year.

“We continue to work with government and industry partners to attract new airlines and routes to Sydney, with associated economic and tourism benefits.”