By now you’ll have learned & memorised the facts – tourists from China are the fastest growing to Australia. They’re spending A LOT of money when they get here, making them a huge source for the Australian economy.
That’s why the Australian government continues to team up with their counterparts in China to find new ways of attracting the country’s 1.35 billion citizens.
One of the biggest agreements between the two governments was the decision to double gateway capacity before the end of this year. This involved opening up new cities in both destinations.
You’ve probably already noticed this is in full swing, so much so, that it feels like Australia receives a new route to China almost every other week.
We wouldn’t blame you for thinking the same, because over the last month three new routes have been announced including China Eastern’s Hangzhou-Sydney service, Air China’s Sydney-Chengdu flights and China Southern’s first operation from Adelaide to mainland China.
And the latest?
Hainan Airlines has confirmed a new Sydney-Changsha service.
The airline, which launched its first flights to the Harbour City in December last year, will fly twice-weekly on the new route, bringing an extra 16,600 Chinese visitors to the destination.
Operating the A330-200 aircraft on the route, there’ll be 250 seats on each flight, which according to Sydney Airport’s Managing Director, Kerrie Mather, will be filled with people that will bring some $62 million additional visitor expenditure per year.
“We’re thrilled to welcome another service from Hainan Airlines to Sydney Airport, the world’s leading long haul airport for Chinese airlines.”
Kerrie Mather, Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Hainan Airlines Vice President of Marketing Hou Wei said Australia has been identified as a strategic choice for the carrier and he’s delighted to expand the airline’s Sydney footprint.
“We hope that Hainan Airlines will become the choice of an increasing number of travellers around the world, so we are able to contribute more to the promotion of economic and cultural exchanges between China and Australia,” he said.
But that’s not all.
Hainan Airlines will also recommence its Xi’an route on 15 September, following the success of the service during the busy Lunar New Year period. Together, the two year-round Hainan Airlines services are expected to bring 33,000 Chinese visitors who will contribute an anticipated $124 million in additional visitor expenditure per year.
