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After a two-year pandemic hiatus, direct flights from Cairns to Tokyo and Osaka resume today, however COVID-19 restrictions currently prevent independent Australian tourists from visiting Japan.
On the flip side, flights carrying Japanese tourists are filling up fast.
“We’re already seeing a lot of pent-up demand from Japanese travellers eager to visit Australia,” said Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans.
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“We look forward to welcoming an announcement from the Japanese Government about the easing of international restrictions, which will allow two-way travel between the two countries.”
The Jetstar flight to Tokyo (Narita International Airport) departing Cairns this morning is the first commercial passenger aircraft to leave Australia for Japan since March 2020.
It kicks off a schedule of eight services per week, with five flights between Cairns and Tokyo and three between Cairns and Osaka (Kansai International Airport).
Cairns Airport CEO Chief Operating Officer Garry Porter said the flights signify one of the most important developments in the region's COVID recovery phase.
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"The resumption of these Jetstar services is symbolic of how far our aviation and tourism industries have progressed since our COVID recovery phase began,” he said.
“We know Tropical North Queensland is a highly sought-after destination for visitors from Japan and we expect to see a welcome injection of tourists due to these flights, and as confidence around international travel continues to grow.”
“We also know that local Far North residents will be looking forward to once again visiting Japan’s many spectacular attractions, and these flights provide lots of great options.”
The Japanese market delivered 110,000 visitors to the region in 2019.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen said operators were looking forward to their return.
“Our two World Heritage areas, Indigenous culture and native animals are major drawcards for the Japanese who stay an average of 5.6 nights and spend $1286 per person,” he said.
“Cairns has very close ties with Japan, which was one of our first major international tourism markets, and we look forward to rebuilding our connections again.”
The first inbound flight, which is close to sold out, will take off from Tokyo on Thursday night and touch down early Friday morning.
Jetstar is aiming to increase the Osaka flight schedule to four services per week from September.
Main points
- There are now eight flights operating per week between Cairns & Tokyo and Cairns & Osaka
- Australian tourists are currently restricted from flying into Japan
- The first inbound flight carrying Japanese tourists is almost full
