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DIRECT-FLIGHT-CHINA-SHENZHEN-AUSTRALIA
1st direct flight from China’s Shenzhen to Australia’s lands safely in
Cairns
SYDNEY, Dec. 20, 2017 (BSS/Xinhua) – A delegation of state officials have
welcomed China’s Hainan Airlines to Australia’s tropical north, after the
first direct flight from China’s Shenzhen to Cairns landed safely on
Wednesday morning.
Queensland State Tourism Minister Kate Jones described the new route, with
two services per week, as a “game changer” for the region.
“With a travel time of just under eight hours this will provide the
quickest route for Chinese travellers to Australia,” Jones said.
“And provide tourists direct access to two World Heritage-listed natural
wonders – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest.”
The flight path is expected to bring more than 30,000 Chinese visitors to
Cairns over the next two years and is set to boost the region’s economy by
over 50 million U.S. dollars.
As Queensland’s most valuable and fastest growing international market,
Chinese tourists arrivals have been rapidly increasing in the state’s
tropical north.
But despite the area’s idyllic white sand beaches and sundrenched
attractions, the lack of direct access from the Chinese mainland has proved
somewhat of a barrier for local tourism operators and hindered the state
government’s goal of making the area the most desired location for Chinese
visitors.
Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer Norris Carter said with direct
flights now operating, it will be much easier to capitalize on the market.
“With more than 80 percent of our Chinese visitors currently using a
domestic flight to get to and from Cairns, this new service will enable them
to spend less time travelling and more time enjoying everything tropical
North Queensland has to offer,” he said.
BSS/Xinhua/MSY/1132 hrs