Qantas is moving to take advantage of a resurgence of Japanese tourism to Australia with a new seasonal service that will see it flying three times weekly to Osaka over the summer peak.
While China is seen as the modern Eldorado when it comes to tourism gold, Japan has remained an important source of visitors for Australia and a market to which Qantas has remained committed.
It is also a market that has been booming recently with the latest figures showing arrivals in Australia from Japan rose 13.5 per cent in the year ending May, 2017. to more than 422,000.
The new Qantas route using upgraded Airbus A330s will be the only direct flight between the two cities and adds to the airline’s Sydney-Tokyo (Haneda), Brisbane-Tokyo (Narita) and Melbourne-Tokyo (Narita) services.
Sister airline Jetstar also flies Cairns-Osaka, Cairns-Tokyo and Gold Coast Tokyo and the Qantas Group is a key stakeholder in Japanese low-cost carrier Jetstar Japan.
This gives the group extensive domestic networks at both ends of its international routes.
The tourism resurgence coincides with the 70ths anniversary in December of Qantas flights to Japan and Qantas International chief executive Gareth Evans said the airline was well-placed the growth in travel between the two countries.
“Australia is a highly sought-after destination for Japanese tourists with many staying longer and spending more while they are here,’’ Evans said in a statement. “And with the Free Trade Agreement in place, the new route opens up more opportunities for companies to explore and build business in new regions, further strengthening the trade relationship between the two countries.”
“For Australian travelers, this service will appeal to those looking to explore the historic Kansai region and the surrounding areas.’’
Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey shows spending by Japanese tourists rose 13 per cent in the year ending March, 2017, to $A1.7 billion.
Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said Qantas had contributed significantly to the “remarkable resurgence in visitation’’ seen from Japan in recent years with the additional capacity put into the market helping to drive demand.
“Whilst this is a seasonal service, Australian tourism will be a beneficiary of a direct, non-stop service from another key Japanese city,” he said.
Qantas is offering special launch fares for the new service starting at $699 for economy class for travel on select dates and $3499 for business class.
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