Direct flights between Perth and China will expand for Year of the Snake celebrations

Direct flights between Perth and China will be expanded during New Year celebrations early next year, prompting hopes of a flood of tourists flying to WA to mark the Year of the Snake. In a move that will see an extra 2320 seats come into WA, China Eastern Airlines will add 10 extra flights from Shanghai to Perth between January 24 and February 14 — over the Chinese national holiday period. Chinese New Year — which will mark the Year of the Snake — is on January 29 next year. It is the second year the flights have run over the period. The announcement comes ahead of the return of a permanent direct flight between Guangzhou and Perth by China Southern airways starting up again in November, with a capacity for 41,000 more tourists over a year. Chinese tourists spend the most in WA, with 66,000 visitors spending $303 million in WA in the year ending March 2024. Premier Roger Cook said the direct Shanghai flights this year delivered a “major tourism boost” and brought thousands of visitors to the State. “It’s great to see these flights back for another season, as part of our ongoing efforts to secure more direct flights into WA. “Every direct flight we secure to WA delivers more local jobs and a stronger, diversified economy for WA’s future.” Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the Chinese market was critical for our tourism industry. “Of course, we also have China Southern resuming flights between Guangzhou and Perth in November, so there’s a lot of opportunity for us to continue growing our Chinese visitor market, which brings in hundreds of millions to our local economy each year,” she said. Direct flights have been a focus of the Cook Government, securing multiple non-stop routes — including to Paris and Rome on Qantas — selling WA as the “western gateway to WA”. A bid is underway to attract more direct routes, including to India, where the State is eager to grow its tourism brand after it recently launched an advertising campaign helmed by former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist. Tickets for the New Year direct flights are on sale via the China Eastern Airlines website.