Tourism Australia signed an agreement outlining a marketing strategy to invest AU$9 million over the next twelve months with China’s largest and fastest growing international carrier, China Southern Airlines.

Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy and China Southern Airlines president Tan Wangeng signed the contract in Guangzhou, China this week.

“In just over two years, the airline has nearly quadrupled capacity to Australia, opening up direct access between China and Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, and soon to be Cairns,” Mr McEvoy said.
 
“China Southern has a large domestic network in China and is rapidly developing Guangzhou into a major hub which will eventually help connect up to 80 cities to Australia.”

The agreement will operate in accordance with Tourism Australia’s 2020 target, focusing on China’s middle class in primary cities.

“Underpinning our Tourism 2020 strategy is recognition that Australia’s international aviation capacity needs to grow by between 40 to 50 percent this decade, with China a big part of those numbers,” Mr McEvoy said.

“I commend TA and its STO partners, Destination New South Wales, Tourism Western Australia and Tourism Victoria, for their vision and foresight in agreeing to work together to better target their marketing strategies in this critical key market for growth to Australia,” Australian Tourism Export Council manager director Felicia Mariani said.

The new agreement also aligns with China Southern’s new weekly flights to Cairns and developing its Brisbane route to a daily service.

“Cairns and Tropical North Queensland have done it tough these last few years with floods, Yasi and a drop off in visitors from some of their traditional Western markets, but we’re definitely seeing positive signs of a fight back, signalling what we all hope is a Renaissance for the region’s tourism industry,” Mr McEvoy said.
 
“With Chinese visitors to Cairns up nearly 40 per cent last year, the appeal is clearly there and, now, with this significant injection of air capacity, so is the improvement in air access we need from Australia’s fastest growing and most valuable overseas market.”

“With limited budgets, and in markets as big as China, it is sensible and necessary for our state and national marketing bodies to join forces to maximise the impact of our international campaigns.  This kind of alliance is well overdue and an excellent way to ensure we make the greatest impact and squeeze the most out of our marketing dollars,” Ms Mariani said.