The Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association (MRBTA) welcomes the news that Melbourne and Busselton will be connected via a direct flight route, with Jetstar today announcing that it will commence a Melbourne-Busselton service from 25 March 2020.
Jetstar will operate the service three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, landing at Busselton Margaret River Airport at 9.05am and departing at 9.40am.
The new service offers easier access to the Margaret River region for interstate travellers, whose visitor spend in WA last year grew by 22% to $1.73 billion. It also opens up new opportunities to connect international visitors from Melbourne to the region through open-jaw itineraries.
The success of the service will be supported by MRBTA and Australia’s South West (ASW), with the two tourism bodies working together to deliver a training and capacity building programme for regional businesses wishing to welcome airline passengers.
Alongside its industry development programme, MRBTA has committed $100,000 in funds to market the new route and will leverage the full scope of its consumer-facing channels to showcase the region to visitors flying in from Melbourne. Tailored editorial, itineraries, inspirational imagery, video and travel advice will be shared via the MBRTA marketing and visitor servicing channels, which currently encompass over two million visitor touchpoints per year.
Former MRBTA CEO Pip Close, who will be returning to the organisation to progress major strategic projects from November this year, said securing the new route is an important milestone for tourism in the Margaret River region.
“The new air service coming to fruition is a landmark achievement for the region and we congratulate the teams at the City of Busselton and Tourism WA, who have led the way in attracting the airline.”
“Closer interstate links will help to diversify the region’s visitor profile and mitigate its heavy reliance on the intrastate market.”
“We look forward to welcoming these visitors, who we know are highly attracted by the diversity of experiences on offer within the compact area of the region, as well as the combination of premium wine and beautiful coastline.”
“We will be working with MRBTA and ASW member businesses to ensure that come next March, the region will be fully prepared to satisfy the needs and expectations of this discerning market.” said Pip.
MRBTA and ASW member businesses are invited to attend an initial airline information session with MRBTA, ASW, City of Busselton and Tourism WA taking place at Ramada Resort, Dunsborough on Thursday 17 October from 2.00-5.00pm. Please register online here.
Flights are now on sale via jetstar.com.