Qantas

The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has welcomed the recently announced additional capacity provided by and Melbourne.

ATEC managing director Felicia Mariani said the increased capacity will enhance both the Tasmanian tourism industry and the local economy.

“This is a significant announcement as most of the additional capacity to Tasmania up to this point has been via Jetstar and these Qantas services will help to provide an increase to the flight options for travellers.”

The ATEC boss said the extra services would provide an opportunity for businesses in Tasmania to connect with domestic and international travellers.

“Extending its use to now include Hobart will bring much needed capacity to the island state on the Qantas services that many travellers are seeking, particularly as Tasmania heads towards its peak season for travel,” Ms Mariani said.

“From an inbound perspective, the connectivity and interlining of international Qantas flights to domestic Qantas services is critical and provides overseas visitors with seamless connections to Tasmania from the gateway ports of Melbourne and Sydney.”

Ms Mariani stressed that greater access was a vital element for the isolated island state of Tasmania.

“These additional services announced by Qantas will open up improved opportunities for Tasmania to leverage the increasing number of international visitors to Australia, particularly from China and other Asian destinations.”