Overseas visitors flock to Tassie as Qantas says Emirates partnership boosts global traffic to state’s shores

QANTAS international travellers are now five times more likely to visit Tasmania, the airline says.

Qantas says a deal with Emirates is yielding big rewards for regional tourism markets lik

QANTAS international travellers are now five times more likely to visit Tasmania, the airline says.

Qantas International chief executive Simon Hickey said a code-sharing partnership with Emirates had made it easier for overseas travellers to book trips to the state without long waits for connecting flights.

Mr Hickey said Hobart was one of the big regional winners from the year-long partnership.

“Outside our city gateways, international customers have purchased an average of five times more fares to the top ­regional centres, including Hobart, than under our previous partnership arrangements for Europe,” he said.

It coincides with an 8 per cent annual jump in international visitors to the state, tourism figures to September last year show. Spending by international travellers in Tasmania increased 6 per cent to $126 million.

More visitors are expected to flock to the state when the runway at the Hobart airport is extended to accommodate international flights by 2016.

The Federal Government and the airport are close to an agreement on the $38 million project, which will enable the first mainstream international commercial flights since 2003.

But Qantas yesterday ruled out direct flights from New Zealand.

Tourism Tasmania chief executive John Fitzgerald said the state’s profile in important international markets had benefited from the Qantas partnership with Emirates.

“Not only is Tasmania benefiting from the Qantas and Emirates partnership, but last year Tourism Tasmania and Qantas entered into a three-year $4.35 million co-operative marketing partnership to jointly promote our state on the mainland and overseas,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“These partnerships are clearly helping to raise our tourism profile and deliver more international and interstate visitors to Tasmania.”

But the boost comes at a turbulent time for Qantas in Tasmania.

About 300 jobs at the Qantas call centre in Hobart are being reviewed and union representatives said staff faced an anxious six-month wait to learn their fates.

The jobs are being reviewed as part of a plan to cut 5000 positions with the airline across the nation.

This year Qantas increased flights from Tasmania to Sydney and Melbourne on new Boeing 717 jets, which are being operated by local cabin crew and pilots.

But it meant the loss of 35 ground crew jobs, which were outsourced. Despite international interest in Tasmania, the airline yesterday ruled out ­direct flights between Hobart and New Zealand soon.

“While Qantas constantly monitors the market for ­demand for new services, at this stage we have no plans to operate direct services between New Zealand and Tasmania,” a spokeswoman said.

Baroque Hobart organiser Leo Schofield said direct flights would have been a boost for the festival, which was sponsored by Qantas.

“I think this is an international festival; we’ve got people coming from all over,” he said.

“Some of the planes coming down from Sydney look like Baroque charters, they’re that packed with people (coming to the festival).”

Mr Schofield said that in the past he had travelled to New Zeal­and to directly spruik events, a move that had “paid off very well”.

Hobart Lord Mayor Damon Thomas was confident international flights would soon be a reality for Tasmania.

Airlines have said the cost of flying to Hobart would be more viable once a 500m ­extension of the airport runway was completed, which could be as soon as 2016.

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