Direct flights from Gold Coast-Hong Kong coming soon

THE Gold Coast is set for a new influx of cashed-up visitors with new direct flights to Hong Kong to be unveiled today.

Coast-Hong Kong flights revealed

THE Gold Coast is set for a new influx of cashed-up visitors with new direct flights to Hong Kong to be unveiled today.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones last night confirmed Hong Kong Airlines would begin a link with the Coast early next year.

“Hong Kong Airlines will operate its first Australian service in January 2016 marking the first direct route from Hong Kong to the Gold Coast with connections through to Cairns three times a week,” Ms Jones said.

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The new flights will bring 5000 extra travellers and generate more than $10 million for the Queensland economy, she said.

Hong Kong Airlines will operated the route.

“These seasonal services have been secured thanks to a partnership between Gold Coast Tourism, Gold Coast Airport, Cairns Airport and Tourism and Events Queensland.”

It is understood today’s announcement, to be made by Gold Coast Airport and Gold Coast Tourism, will be the culmination of months of talks to secure the new route.

It follows the announcement in May that Jewel developer Wanda Group would partner with Jetstar to secure direct flights between the Mainland Chinese city of Wuhan.

Those flights will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays from September 29.

Gold Coast Tourism boss Paul Donovan, under pressure during a council meeting in May, said highly confidential negotiations for more direct flights to the region were ongoing.

“Without saying precisely who we are talking to, there are a couple of other airlines we are talking to about getting direct access to the Gold Coast,” he said at the time.

Crowd in Causeway Bay shopping district. Photo: LONELY PLANET

“There are two destinations we have very warm interest from and that will really finish the hub-and-spoke operation we have got at Gold Coast Airport.”

Newly released budget documents show the Gold Coast City Council will this financial year spend $915,000 to secure further direct flights from China and a Middle East marketing campaign.

D'Aguilar Street in Lan Kwai Fong, Central. Photo: Lonely Planet

City hall also committed a further $69,250 to fund activities to increase Chinese visitation.

It comes as new tourism figures released this week showed Chinese visitors now make up almost one quarter of all international tourists to the city.

Of the 856,000 international visitors to the Gold Coast in the 12 months to March, 203,000 came from China.