More US visitors for Victoria?

Jetstar flights from Honolulu to Melbourne will begin soon

Visitors from several North American cities will now be able to fly to Honolulu and connect to Jetstar’s flights to Melbourne, opening Victoria to more visitors from the US and boosting an already strong tourism market says Tourism Vic.

There were more than 134,000 visitors to Victoria in the year to June 2006, an 11 per cent on the previous 12 months and a 15 per cent increase compared to 1999. The number of nights US visitors stay in Victoria has increased by 49 per cent over the past seven years.

Jetstar will operate the flights on a code share service with Qantas and American Airlines, giving visitors from the west coast of the US easy access to Victoria. Jetstar, which is based in Melbourne, will offer twice weekly services between Melbourne and Honolulu from 29 December subject to regulatory approval.

Do you come across many US visitors in Victoria? Will these flights make a difference to your business? DO tell us your business experiences!