Australia’s accommodation industry bodies have joined in welcoming expanded air links between Perth and Japan after All Nippon Airways touched down this week with its restored service between the WA and Japanese capitals.
The new daily service between Perth and Tokyo Haneda is the first time the two hubs have been directly linked since 2011, with the TAA saying the reopening of the market presents an opportunity to grow visitation from Japan, which is Perth’s tenth-largest international market. Around 76,000 new visitors to Perth are estimated to now be able to arrive from Japan via the new flight, delivering an economic boost of $175.5 million annually.
“Perth is now widely known as the Western gateway of Australia. With the enormous investment that has taken place in the state’s accommodation industry in recent years, coupled with Perth Airport’s transformation, WA is extremely well positioned to host a large influx of additional visitors,” said TAA National CEO, Michael Johnson.
Accommodation Association of Australia CEO, Dean Long, said aviation connectivity to long-haul destinations was critical in driving visitor growth.
“We commend the Australian government on their continued focus on improvements to aviation access.”
The commencement of the new service means Australia will soon triple its service capacity to Japan, with two new return flights for Australian airlines and two more for Japanese carriers from 29 March next year when an expanded air services arrangement between the two countries takes effect.