AHA(WA) WELCOMES NEW AND RESUMED FLIGHTS FROM MELBOURNE, ADELAIDE AND CHINA

The Australian Hotels Association (WA) has welcomed the announcements by Rex Airlines and China Southern Airlines to add 161,000 passenger seats to Western Australia annually, which will benefit the hotel and hospitality industry and drive visitor numbers.

Rex Airlines will add new flights into Perth from Melbourne and Adelaide from 28 June, while China Southern Airlines will recommence a year-round non-stop service between Guangzhou and Perth from 28 November which ceased five years ago.

Rex will operate three flights a week between Adelaide and Perth, and five flights a week between Melbourne and Perth, starting at $249 and $299 respectively, and providing 120,000 seats into WA. The recommencement of the China Southern route will be the first time it has operated since the pandemic forced it to cease services in 2019. It will add 41,000 inbound seats annually.

AHA(WA) CEO Bradley Woods warmly welcomed news of Rex’s decision to expand the number of flights into Perth from two major capital cities.

“Now that domestic airline travel and capacity have recently returned to pre-pandemic levels, more direct links into Western Australia from Adelaide and Melbourne is fantastic news for our industry, bringing new tourists into the state, boosting occupancy rates and showcasing WA to our east coast family and friends,” said Mr Woods.

“Rex’s cost-effective routes mean when interstate tourists arrive here, they have more money in their pockets to spend in the local economy, which is a boon to our hotels and hospitality venues.”

Mr Woods added that the resumption of the Guangzhou to Perth route would drive tourism growth even further as well as strengthening WA’s status as Australia’s Western Gateway, making the state an important and well-connected international destination.

“The last time this route was operational in 2019 we know that 73,000 Chinese visitors arrived in WA, making China WA’s largest visitor market. Resuming the direct connection between Perth and Guangzhou is a great outcome for the WA Government’s $75 million Aviation Recovery Fund and we look forward to seeing the impact it makes,” said Mr Woods.