Australia's New South Wales (NSW) and Singapore Airlines have signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) to rebuild visitor numbers to Sydney
and NSW.
The new agreement, which was sealed through the NSW government’s A$60
million Aviation Attraction Fund, aims to not only entice travellers in
Singapore to visit NSW, but also to stimulate demand and drive
visitation from other markets such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
UK, Germany and France.
The partnership is a continuation of an existing strong relationship
between Destination NSW, the NSW government's tourism and major events
agency, and Singapore Airlines, said New South Wales Minister for Sport
and Tourism Stuart Ayres, during the MoU signing at The Fullerton Hotel
Singapore.
“Coupled with a network and dedication to providing high-quality
customer experience, we are very well poised to be a partner for NSW to
build back better and faster,” said Jo-Ann Tan, senior vice president of
marketing and planning at Singapore Airlines.
Before the pandemic, Singapore was one of the major key markets for
New South Wales. The destination welcomed more than 126,000 visitors
from Singapore in 2019 with a combined total stay of one million nights,
with A$232 million (S$223.5 million) going into the visitor economy.
During the pandemic when borders were shut, Singapore Airlines flew
3,800 passenger flights into Australia, enabling 67,000 people to return
to the country, according to Tan.
Singapore Airlines is now operating four flights between Singapore
and Sydney every week, including one of its A380 aircraft that can seat
up to 471 passengers, and has almost reinstated all of its pre-pandemic
capacity.