Cairns is once more connected to the rest of the world with the arrival of Singapore Airlines flight SQ203 today (March 28).
North Queensland Airports Chief Executive Officer Richard Barker and Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen today welcome the first international flight to return to Cairns after international borders fully reopened on February 12.
“The first direct flight from Singapore for two years opens up visitor markets in Asia and the Western world thanks to the excellent connectivity of Singapore Airlines,” Mr Barker said.
“The Singapore Airlines network will provide connections to the United Kingdom, Europe, North America as well as Asian markets such as South Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia.
“Singapore Airlines have maintained a presence in Cairns throughout the COVID lockdown and we are delighted they are first to return services to our region
“It will be the first in a line of international routes into the region which we anticipate will continue to grow as we regain the confidence of overseas visitors to travel to Australia once again.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen said the arrival of Singapore Airlines signalled the starting point for the destination’s re-entry into the international marketplace.
“TTNQ has already been in-market in Germany and Japan to begin the process of reconnecting with our trade partners and has marketing and public relations activities underway in those countries as well as in Italy and the United Kingdom,” he said.
“This week our international sales and marketing team are in Sydney accompanied by 24 operators to meet with 25 Inbound Tour Operators to update them on products in the destination.
“Thanks to the Federal Government funding announced last week for marketing, TTNQ and the region’s operators can forge ahead with rebuilding international trade relationships and escalate our campaign and public relations activities to reclaim our $1 billion a year international markets.
“With the accommodation sector already nudging 80 per cent occupancy in April and domestic routes exceeding pre-COVID numbers on the back of strong domestic interest, the outlook for tourism in Tropical North Queensland is very positive.”