Jetstar’s new flights between Avalon and Hobart will unlock huge growth potential in our state’s number one tourism market.
The four direct flights from Avalon to Hobart each week will give more than 37,000 additional visitors the chance to see our island state every year, and will start from March next year.
This is a vote of confidence from Jetstar in Tasmania’s fast-growing tourism market and adds to the existing 1.7million passengers it brings in and out of Tasmania every year.
More visitors to our state means higher occupancy rates in our hotels, more bookings in our restaurants and a greater number of people experiencing all the attractions we have to offer.
Importantly, it also means an economic boost and jobs growth, with the average visitor to Tasmania staying eight nights and spending more than $200 each day they stay.
Move visitors come to Tasmania from Victoria than any other state or territory in Australia, and last year that grew by more than 10 per cent to almost 450,000.
A large portion of growth came from regional Victoria, with a 20 per cent increase in the same time. The new capacity provided by Jetstar will help to drive this further, particularly with travellers from Geelong and Ballarat.
This is a great step towards reaching our Access 2020 target of increasing air capacity and our tourism and hospitality target of attracting 1.5 million visitors to our state every year by 2020.
It is also important to note that the additional flights also pose potential air freight opportunities through the Avalon Airport. This will be assessed as part of the new Tasmanian Integrated Freight Strategy.
As an island state, Tasmania depends on reliable and regular access to support the growth of our tourism and export industries. Jetstar plays a critical role in this and today’s announcement shows an ongoing commitment to this.