In a much-needed boost to the tourism industry, Sunshine Coast Airport resumed services to Adelaide and the South Australian visitors were more than happy to put their coats and jumpers away.
As the first flight touched down Tuesday morning, Sunshine Coast Airport head of corporate relations Ayllie White welcomed the recommencement of regular passenger flights between Sunshine Coast and Adelaide.
Ms White said Jetstar had been testing demand for the service, which had been thanks to the Queensland Government’s $15million aviation recovery fund.
“During September, we’ll host two Jetstar services per week on Tuesday and Sunday, with that increasing to three a week in October,” Ms White said.
“The service will deliver more than 4300 seats each month, providing locals with the opportunity to visit the Festival State straight from their doorstep.
“With pent-up travel demand remaining high, we expect the service will be very popular with local people seeking new horizons such as South Australia’s world-renowned wineries.
“We also know that South Australians are craving warmer weather following a long winter, so we expect the early recommencement of the service will inject a much welcomed $4.7million boost into the local economy.”
Visit Sunshine Coast interim chief executive officer Craig Davidson and Tourism Noosa chief executive officer Melanie Anderson welcomed the return of the route.
“We are working closely with Sunshine Coast Airport and Tourism Noosa as part of our Aviation Partnership to roll out a targeted marketing campaign in Adelaide to further drive visitation to the Sunshine Coast in line with the resumption of the Jetstar service,” Mr Davidson said.
“Reopening the region back up to the Adelaide market is extremely timely and will provide further support for the Sunshine Coast’s tourism industry, keeping us moving forward on the path to recovery.”
“We were seeing some good traction with South Australian visitors to the region and look forward to welcoming them back,” Ms Anderson said.
With the recommencement of the service, Ms White has reminded departing passengers to allow extra time to check in, as changes had been made to ensure COVID-Safe travel.
“We are taking extra precautions to protect against the spread of COVID-19, with our terminal regularly undergoing extra cleaning, and new measures being introduced to limit contact surfaces and dwelling areas,” she said.
“We need everyone to play a part in helping stop the spread, so it important to follow the industry-approved guidelines provided before you fly, while travelling through our airport and once on the plane.”
Tourism Noosa head of marketing and events Sonia Shillington said it was a simple matter of relying on Noosa’s environmental credentials to bring visitors to the area.
It was a market people trust and a safe place to bring families, she said.
There are a variety of ways to enjoy Noosa, with beaches, running trails and rivers to explore.
A review will be held in February of hosting such events as the Noosa Triathlon, which has been cancelled this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Noosa Shire Council this week decided to downsize future events in the region to a maximum of 500 people due to the pandemic.
As a result, the Noosa Triathlon – which is the largest Olympic distance triathlon in the world – has been cancelled until further notice.
Last year the annual event attracted more than 8,000 competitors, along with thousands of spectators to the region.
