South Pacific gem now on the runway for Brisbane flights

Brisbane’s travel renaissance continues with flights to resume to one of the Pacific’s most spectacular destinations.

Brisbane Airport has become the King of the Pacific after the return of flights to one of the region’s most exotic destinations.

The transport hub now boasts flights to almost as many Pacific and Melanesian destinations as before the start of the pandemic, with Air Vanuatu to restart flights between Brisbane and the island of Espiritu Santo.

While flights to the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila have been back running for some time, there have been no direct links between Brisbane and Espiritu Santo - a natural wonderland and dive Mecca - since before the coronavirus pandemic started.

Air Vanuatu will resume weekly flights from Brisbane to Espiritu Santo from June 1 and it will be the island’s only international route, giving Brisbane a distinct advantage for travellers wishing to experience the tropical oasis which is home to majestic blue hole swimming lagoons, stunning beaches and spectacular WWII dive sites.

Espiritu Santo is one of the gems of the Pacific and is now just a direct flight away from Brisbane. Picture: iStock

Brisbane also holds the distinction of offering more routes across the South Pacific than any other Australian airport with all but one of the destinations from 2019 now back online.

The only flight to the region yet to resume is Munda in the Solomon Islands.

Brisbane Airport spokesman Stephen Beckett said Queensland now had unrivalled connections to the South Pacific and Melanesia.

“BNE is fast becoming Australia’s premier gateway to the Pacific,” he said.

Spectacular Champagne Beach on Vanuatu’s Espiritu Santo. Picture: Getty Images

Brisbane Airport has now reconnected 26 of the 32 international routes in operation before the pandemic, though industry insiders expect it will take about 18 months before capacity and passenger numbers return to those levels.

The airport’s stunning fightback comes as 2500 delegates from around the world converge on the Gold Coast for the Australian Tourism Exchange, one of the industry’s biggest trade shows where deals worth millions of dollars are done to bring travellers Down Under.

Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the event would initially generate $9 million for the Gold Coast economy, but the true value would be measured for years to come.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our great state to the world and … sell Queensland visitor experiences and our stories to the international market,” he said.

“Queensland is lucky to have so many iconic tourism destinations from the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest to our vast Outback and beautiful islands and beaches that are already to welcome international visitors.

Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Patricia O’Callaghan, who last week headed an envoy to China to jump-start relations with the state’s most important tourism market, said ATE gave Queensland a tremendous platform to show off the state’s appeal.

Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Patricia O'Callaghan. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“All of Queensland is excited about this event, particularly those on the Gold Coast, as we welcome back key partners for one of this year’s most important opportunities to bring back our international markets which were worth $6 billion before the pandemic,” she said.

“The key business of ATE is to ensure more Queensland tourism products are included in more travel itineraries and more international travellers are inspired to visit down under.

“We welcome delegates to our state and hope that you leave educated and inspired to sell Queensland holidays overseas.”

ATE runs from Sunday until Thursday.