Flights boost to Coast

TOURISM leaders say Gold Coast businesses will benefit from extra daily flights between China and Brisbane to be announced today.

More than a third of Chinese who arrive in the state’s capital head straight to the Coast, meaning as many as 47,000 of the 120,000 new visitors expected from the flights in the next four years will flow here.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday told State Parliament the increase in China Eastern’s Shanghai Brisbane services from four flights a week to seven would inject $138 million into the Queensland economy.

“The additional services have been secured with the support of our Connecting with Asia Fund and will provide Chinese visitors access to our best destinations right across Queensland,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “China is Queensland’s most valuable and fastestgrowing international market, with visitors spending $1 billion over the past year.”

Gold Coast Tourism said it had helped lobby for the flights. “Official estimates are that 39 per cent of Chinese arrivals to Brisbane head directly to the Gold Coast to start their holidays,” CEO Martin Winter said.

“An extra three services a week could be worth as much as $16 million a year to the Gold Coast in direct tourism spending. This is part of the project which we sought specific funding support for from City of Gold Coast in June.”

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the flights were secured through a consortium that included Tourism and Events Queensland, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Gold Coast Tourism, Brisbane Marketing, Tourism Whitsundays and Tourism Australia.