Frequent visitors to Hong Kong will find travel significantly easier with Virgin Australia’s recent alliance with Hong Kong airlines and the launch of a new direct flight from Melbourne.
Virgin’s new codeshare agreement with Hong Kong Airlines, which includes five flights a week between Melbourne and Hong Kong, will allow 71,500 more passengers to travel to Hong Kong each year, as well as boost tourism in Hong Kong and increase Australian travel across Asia.
In 2016, Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines also increased their flights from Australia, introducing flights from Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns, with plans to launch a Perth in October this year. Further adding to the city’s accessibility, Qantas introduced double daily flights from Sydney to Hong Kong during its peak season.
With demand for flights to Hong Kong at an all-time high, Hong Kong International Airport has begun development on a third runway, which will be completed by 2024, and with new sea bridges planned from Hong Kong to Macau and rail networks to Guangzhou, travel across Asia has never been easier.
Offering a wide selection of contemporary art, restaurants run by internationally-renowned chefs and cultural attractions, Hong Kong is one of the world’s most frequently visited cities, welcoming 576,000 visitors from Australia last year alone. Only a five-hour flight from most of the world’s population, an easy location for connecting flights to Asia, and holding a reputation both for fine dining and a safe atmosphere, it has become a ‘key hub’ for international visitors, according to Hong Kong Tourism Board regional director Andrew Clark.
