Whitsundays tourism to get new flights boost

Tourism Minister Kate Jones today welcomed Jetstar’s announcement of seven new flights to Whitsunday Coast Airport.

Ms Jones said increased access was vital to growing the tourism industry.

“We know every extra visitor means more money for local businesses, which supports jobs for locals,” Ms Jones said.

“The tourism industry in Mackay and the Whitsundays is worth more than $3 billion to the local economy, supporting more than 13,000 jobs.

“We know more than 330 jobs are expected to be created in the local tourism industry in the next five years.

“The Whitsundays has welcomed more than 720,000 visitors in the last year, including more than half a million domestic visitors and these new flights will see this number grow even further.”

Ms Jones said Jetstar would be offering new direct flights from Sydney and additional direct flights from Brisbane and Melbourne.

“With three new direct flights from Sydney, three additional flights from Brisbane and an additional flight from Melbourne every week, we are set to see more visitors to the Whitsundays than ever before,” she said.

“As locals, we know how spectacular our tourism offerings are and it will be great to be welcoming more interstate visitors to experience everything the Whitsundays has to offer.

“We are determined to grow tourism to the Whitsundays and images from the region feature prominently in Tourism and Events Queensland's new campaign, ‘I know just the place’.

“The Whitsundays is one of Queensland's major tourism assets with some of the world's most famous beaches including Whitehaven and Hamilton Island.

“The additional Jetstar flights are a strong vote of confidence in the Whitsundays as a tourist destination and will drive more visitors to the region.”

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