Gold Coast welcomes first Jetstar service from China

Gold Coast Airport today welcomed the first passengers flying direct from Wuhan, China, on the new Jetstar flight JQ68.

Minister Jones said the new route is the first non-stop service from China will bring up to 35,000 additional travellers to Queensland every year.

“Jetstar will now fly twice a week between Wuhan and the Gold Coast with the services expected to generate up to $26 million in visitor expenditure a year, which is great news for local businesses,” Minister Jones said.

“The Gold Coast is the most popular destination in the State amongst Chinese travellers, welcoming 212,000 visitors during the past financial year, an increase of 13 per cent on the year prior.

“The Gold Coast tourism industry worked tirelessly to secure these services with the support of the Government through the Attracting Aviation and Investment Fund (AAIF).

“The Palaszczuk Government recognises the importance of aviation in growing Queensland’s tourism industry and committed to boosting the AAIF by $10 million over three years, to attract new routes and capacity such as this into Queensland.

"I thank the local tourism industry as well as Hubei Wanda New Airline International Travel Services and Jetstar Airways for their commitment to growing tourism in Queensland.”

Minister Jones said Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) had worked in partnership with Hubei Wanda Travel, Gold Coast Tourism and City of Gold Coast to promote the new route and Gold Coast’s visitor experiences in the lead up to today’s service.

“Promotions have appeared across print and cinema in Wuhan as well as online featuring Queensland holiday packages through Hubei Wanda Travel.”

Gold Coast Airport, Chief Operating Officer, David Collins, said Gold Coast Airport had been working in collaboration with City of Gold Coast, Gold Coast Tourism, Tourism and Events Queensland, Jetstar and Wanda Group for a number of years to bring this service to fruition.

“We have known for some time that the demand is there for direct services between the Gold Coast and China so we are confident this twice-weekly service will perform strongly,” Mr Collins said.

Gold Coast Tourism’s Acting CEO Miles Roper has been delighted by the response to date for the new air services.

“Our partners at Hubei Wanda Travel have indicated strong forward bookings for the new flights with load factors already upward of 90 per cent for the first three months of operation,” Mr Roper said.

“Central China represents a new frontier for the Gold Coast in our marketing efforts in China.”

Jetstar Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the airline was delighted to be linking central China’s largest city with one of Australia’s most popular tourism hotspots.

“We know how important the Chinese market is to Queensland’s tourism sector so we’re proud to be offering the first ever nonstop service to the Gold Coast from Wuhan,” Ms Hrdlicka said.

“This is a huge opportunity for the Gold Coast and we’re so pleased to see that it is off to a great start with strong bookings out of Wuhan.”

Media contact: Minister Jones’ Office 3719 7530