Rosie Holidays Continues Air Charter Flights From China
Nadi-based Rosie Holidays will be mounting air charter flights from China to Fiji for the fourth year in a row. This is during the Chinese New Year holiday season resuming direct air charter services from the city of Hangzhou to Nadi. Commencing Monday, February 12, the first charter of 270 passengers on a Fiji Airways’ Airbus 330 will arrive at Nadi International Airport in the lead up to the Chinese New Year holidays which this year falls on Friday, February 16.
“This will be the fourth consecutive year we are operating air charters into mainland China with Tourism Fiji, our Chinese partners and our national airline, Fiji Airways,” says managing director of Rosie Holidays Tony Whitton.
“We will be resuming our charters into the second-tier city of Hangzhou. In the past years, we have operated charters into firsttier cities of Beijing and Shanghai.
“These cities are big but very busy with competition. This is the second year we are operating into the city of Hangzhou. Hangzhou is also the head office for the world’s largest online e-commerce colossus Alibaba and their travel site alitrip.com.
“Our view is these cities should not be called second-tier but rather big-opportunity cities as 54 per cent of all upscale imported United States of America’s products are consumed in these second-tier cities.
“This is a good measure of wealth, as such cities receive a lot of Government stimulus, high ways, fast trains, infrastructure and the population is very affluent.
This year, the demand for Fiji on our flights has been encouraging and we expect to deliver over 500 new Chinese visitors as a result of this initiative, in the next two weeks Tony Whitton Managing director of Rosie Holidays
And most important, many of our competitor destinations are not in these cities marketing as aggressively.
“This year, the demand for Fiji on our flights has been encouraging and we expect to deliver over 500 new Chinese visitors as a result of this initiative, in the next two weeks.
“In the Year of the Dog, visitors from China will now enjoy the opportunity to visit Fiji, where happiness will find them.”
The second direct charter flight from Hangzhou to Nadi is scheduled to arrive Sunday, February 18.
Spearheading the charter negotiations and logistics is Rosie’s general manager Eroni Puamau, and assisted by Rosie’s sales offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou as well as Rosie’s key tour wholesale partners in China. “We have used the Alibaba platform to promote the flights. Hangzhou is their home town and there is a sentimental connection,” says Mr Puamau.
“It is also one of the fastest growing cities in mainland China, very affluent and conveniently located just under one hour travel in China’s famous electronic bullet train from Shanghai.
“Thanks to the hard work put in by Rosie’s teams both here in Fiji and in mainland China, together with the support of our wholesale partners and Tourism Fiji, Rosie has been able to continue these air charters with our national airline four years running.”
The direct air charters from one of Fiji’s fast growing emerging source markets has been welcomed by Matthew Stoeckel, chief executive officer of Tourism Fiji.
“Visitor arrivals figures just released by the Bureau of Statistics for 2017 show that close to 49,000 Chinese tourists visited Fiji this year.
“China is our fourth largest source market and is expected to continue to grow in 2018 on the back of increased marketing and promotions in the region.
“Rosie’s investment in this vast and emerging market through the charter flights contributes significantly to this success in the market and importantly aligns with Tourism Fiji’s strategy to drive visitor arrivals in our low season”.
Fiji’s national airline has been with Rosie since its first charters from China in 2015, and for airline managing director and CEO Andre Viljoen, Fiji Airways is a proud supporter of Rosie’s initiative to fly in tourists in what’s traditionally Fiji’s low tourist seasons.
“We welcome this opportunity to partner with Rosie again and resume flights into Hangzhou airport in mainland China. We are excited about tapping into new provinces and a newer catchment area for Fijian tourism.”
Chinese tourists will stay at Fiji’s major four and five-star hotels in the Yasawas and Mamanucas and on Denarau and along the Coral Coast, based on five night packages. And will include tours and activities visiting traditional villages, day cruises and handicraft shopping.
Rosie’s investment in this vast and emerging market through the charter flights contributes significantly to this success in the market and importantly aligns with Tourism Fiji’s strategy to drive visitor arrivals in our low season Matthew Stoeckel Chief executive officer for Tourism Fiji