In what’s been described as a “new age of cooperation”, bus operator, Greyhound Australia has teamed up with Virgin Australia to form an air-land partnership that would focus on promoting more tourism into Far North Queensland.

Announced this morning, the partnership unveiled at the launched a new Greyhound centre in Cairns, aims to pick up “sluggish” tourism in the region, according to Greyhound chief executive Neil Taylor, through exclusive flight and ground deals.

Mr Taylor said the agreement would also break a common travellers’ tradition of touring Australia from south to north.

“By the time visitors get to Cairns, they can be ‘travel weary’ and out of spending money,” he said.

“Greyhound and Virgin Australia are going to turn this tradition on its head by enticing travelers into Cairns to start their adventure.”

Virgin Australia group executive sales Judith Crompton added that the “new way to work with industry partners” would also offer more choices to the “experiential traveller”.

Earlier today, Virgin’s alliance partner, Etihad Airways announced a further increase in its stake in the Australian carrier from five percent to ten percent.

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