ASIA Travel Tips.com

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The ATC has congratulated Australian Airlines on the launch of its services to Japan, Singapore, Taipei and Hong Kong, saying that the new airline will greatly assist in promoting inbound tourism to Australia from Asia and Japan.

"Australian Airlines is good news for Australia and presents enormous opportunities for inbound tourism," said ATC managing director, Mr Ken Boundy.

"Airline capacity from some of these destinations has presented challenges for Australian tourism in the past, and the launch of Australian Airlines is a step in the right direction in addressing this issue.

"The fact that forward bookings are very strong is a great sign, and the ATC is working closely with Australian Airlines, Tourism Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, and the Gold Coast Tourism Bureau to continue aggressively marketing in these countries," he said.

The launch of services from Japan this month is strongly supported by the ATC's Vision One Million program, which aims to deliver one million Japanese visitors to Australia by 2010.

The introduction next month of services from Asian markets will provide new destinations and program opportunities for the travel industry and the consumer. These markets remain critical to the future of Australia's inbound tourism industry. 

"We congratulate Australian Airlines CEO Denis Adams and his team on this exciting development for Australian tourism, and will continue to work together to make this venture an outstanding success," said Mr Boundy.