Peter Gutwein,Premier
Sarah Courtney,Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events
In another sign of confidence in our tourism industry, the Tasmanian Government welcomes Virgin Australia's announcement that it will expand its domestic network with more direct services to Tasmania in time for the summer holidays.
Tasmania's tourism industry is world-class and one of the pillars of our economy, and the extra visitation will be warmly welcomed by local businesses as we head into the important holiday period.
The new direct flights between Hobart – Adelaide and the resumption of services between Hobart – Perth will commence in late October, and is in addition to new direct services between Launceston and Perth and Launceston and Adelaide announced earlier this month.
Importantly, this will see a total of 18,200 new seats for passengers each month on all services, and a likely boost of around $15 million per month into the Tasmanian economy.
It is also the first time Tasmanians can travel to the five major capital cities direct from Hobart and Launceston, which is fantastic news and will encourage even more people to come down and see what we have to offer.
We are already taking action to encourage visitation, with Tourism Tasmania's Come Down for Air campaign underway in these key states to increase awareness of our beautiful State.
While we understand it's been a challenging time for our tourism industry, as a Government we are providing the right supports at the right time and this announcement is proof that our brand remains strong and our destination is in high demand from travellers right across the country.
