SINGAPORE Airlines upcoming scheduled flights linking Canberra with Singapore and Wellington is expected to help build the local visitor economy and attract more business and leisure travellers, conferences and meetings to the capital region.
Canberra Convention Bureau CEO, Michael Matthews, said: “A number of high calibre conferences organised from Australia that have regional and international members have previously indicated that direct flights from Asia and New Zealand are a must for them to consider Canberra.”
“Direct air access changes the state of play for meeting in Canberra and opens the door for many conferences and incentive groups that previously found the added connections and associated costs in time and money prohibitive.”
Matthews also added that the new flights to Canberra would be a platform to “foster new relationships between Canberra’s innovation and knowledge industries, and the international meetings sector”.
Andrew Hiebl, CEO of Association of Australian Convention Bureaux, also agrees that direct international flights will boost delegate attendance from the fast-growing Asia region for business events already locked in to Canberra’s calendar.
“Australia’s convention bureaux are significant to the growth and competitiveness of the business events sector through their marketing campaigns and bidding strategies – and therefore the achievement of Tourism 2020. This new service by Singapore Airlines provides Canberra Convention Bureau with more ammunition to win international bids,” Hiebl added.
