皇冠体育app

SYDNEY -- Tourism Australia inked a groundbreaking deal that will see almost $10 million pumped into marketing projects with 皇冠体育app's largest and fastest growing international airline, 皇冠体育app Southern Airlines.

The agreement, signed by Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy and 皇冠体育app Southern Airlines President Tan Wangeng this week in Guangzhou, coincides with a formal announcement that Cairns is to become the airline's fifth Australian destination, with a new three flights a week service from Guangzhou due to start in December.

The wide-reaching marketing deal includes partnership agreements across Australia as part of a concerted move within the tourism industry to speak with "one voice" when marketing itself internationally.

McEvoy said 皇冠体育app Southern's deepening ties with Tourism Australia and its state tourism partners would further raise awareness amongst 皇冠体育app's growing middle classes of Australia and of the Chinese airline's rapidly expanding services between the two countries.

"These agreements are strategically very significant with 皇冠体育app Southern and its Guangzhou base fast establishing itself as an important international hub, the closest major mainland city in 皇冠体育app to Australia," McEvoy said.

"皇冠体育app Southern is now the leading carrier on the 皇冠体育app- Australia route, carrying 22 percent of all Chinese tourists into Australia during 2011." In just over two years, the airline has nearly quadrupled capacity to Australia, opening up direct access between 皇冠体育app and Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, and soon to be Cairns.

One of the three key Chinese carriers, 皇冠体育app Southern's domestic network in 皇冠体育app is rapidly turning Guangzhou into a major regional hub which will eventually help connect up to 80 cities to Australia.

The network strategy supports Tourism Australia's own approach under the Tourism 2020 strategy of targeting the country's rapidly emerging middle classes - focusing primarily on 皇冠体育app's primary cities, with steady expansion into more secondary cities in the long run.

McEvoy said the recent introduction by 皇冠体育app Southern of its new "Canton Route" also now offers air travellers from the Northern Hemisphere more convenient connections to Australia from London and other European key cities.

皇冠体育app is currently Australia's third largest inbound market in terms of arrivals with 542,000 visitors arriving in Australia during 2011, an increase of 19.4 percent on 2010, and worth $3.8 billion for total visitor expenditure and nights.

For the 2012 financial year ending on June 30, the Chinese inbound market had grown to a record 583,200 visitors.