Scoot’s new routes to bear fruit for NSW north coast

North Coast Destination Network has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore’s newest low-cost airline Scoot to develop visitor markets from Asia.

Scoot is a fully-owned but independently run and managed subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Limited, established in 2011 to focus on the medium-to-long haul no-frills market.  .

“The agreement is a framework to meet our shared interest in growing international visitor expenditure on the North Coast of NSW and encourage use of the direct air services of Scoot through cooperative marketing,” said North Coast Destination Network international marketing spokesperson Russell Mills.

“With Scoot flying directly into Gold Coast Airport as well as Sydney International Airport, there are fabulous opportunities to promote iconic holiday destinations on the North Coast such as Byron Bay, as well as the legendary Pacific Coast touring route between Sydney and Brisbane.”

Said Campbell Wilson, Scoot’s CEO: “The NSW North Coast has much to offer to visitors, with places like Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour and Port Stephens offering an authentic experience of regional Australia. The area’s laidback lifestyle, natural beauty, fabulous food and friendliness is a perfect match for Scoot, which seeks to offer fun, friendliness and a dash of what we call Scootitude.  With our great value airfares being marketed around Asia, and our operations direct from Singapore into both Sydney and the Gold Coast, this means it’s never been more affordable, or accessible to get to the North Coast of NSW.”

NCDN has also signed an MOU with Gold Coast Airport, a strategic partner in the regional network’s initiatives to grow international visitors, which have declined by 11% in the year to March 2012.

“International visitors are predicted to account for 45% of all overnight visitor expenditure by 2020, and the forecasts indicate that Asian markets like Singapore will be an engine room for that growth in visitor expenditure.” said Michael Curtis, International Business Development Manager.

“Gold Coast Airport is delighted to work with tourism bodies in New South Wales as we know that the growing number of passengers coming through our airport from overseas will love all that the North Coast NSW has to offer.”

Key Statistics:

•       *There were 317,100 international visitors to the combined Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast regions in the year ended March 2012, down by 12%* on YE Mar 11. Visitors spent 2.58 million nights in the region – stable on YE Mar 11.
•       *International overnight visitors spent $153 million in the Northern Rivers region, down by 14% on YE Mar 11.
•       *Singapore is Australia’s sixth largest source market for international visitors.
•      * The Tourism Forecasting Committee Forecast (April 2012) estimates that arrivals from Singapore will increase by 4.5 per cent in 2012/13, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.2 per cent between 2010/11- 2015/16
•      * Australia ranks 4th among all out-of-region outbound destinations for Singaporean traveller.
•       *May-June and Nov-Dec are the peak travel periods for Singaporean visitors to Australia.

About Scoot™

Scoot™ operates medium and long haul no-frills flights between Singapore and Sydney, Gold Coast, Bangkok, Tianjin, Taipei, and Tokyo, with Shenyang and Qingdao commencing on 27 November. Operating a fleet of Boeing 777-200 aircraft, Scoot provides – in addition to fantastic value airfares – a safe, reliable and contemporary travel experience with a unique attitude – Scootitude™.

Scoot is passionate about changing the way people travel long distance. Book your tickets at Flyscoot.com or call +65 3158 3388 (Singapore); +61 (0)2 8520 1888 (Australia); 400 120 3055 (China); +66 2105 5754 (Thailand), and +886 (00)8 0114 8966 (Taiwan). Our English Customer Service Support opens 24 hours, Monday to Sunday. Mandarin Customer Service Support opens 6am to 8pm (Singapore time), Monday to Sunday. Find out more on Flyscoot.com, Facebook.com/FlyScoot or e.Weibo.com/Flyscoot!