Jetstar will be commencing a Melbourne – Busselton service from 25 March 2020 out of the Busselton Margaret River Airport.
Due to the airport’s proximity to the Bunbury Geographe, this announcement is a complete ‘game-changer’ for the region. In addition to increasing visitation from Melbourne, it is anticipated that many international visitors will consider an open-jaw ticket through Melbourne to Busselton.
So far, Jetstar is thrilled with route sales, which have surpassed expectations.
Last month, Australia’s South West (ASW), Tourism WA, and Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association (MRBTA) hosted an information session on airport developments and maximizing industry involvement.
Airport redevelopment is underway, with terminal and facility expansion occurring. A number of expressions of interest are also in the market place (or coming soon), including cafe services, car hire, advertising, and transport/shuttle providers.
TRADE READY
To fully benefit from this announcement and future airport developments, Bunbury Geographe businesses will need to start wholesaling/packaging, either by partnering with local tourism organisations (BGTP/ASW/TWA) or with travel trade such as Jetstar/Qantas Holidays, Expedia, Flight Centre, Ignite, Hello World, Luxury Escapes, car hire companies etc.
BGTP is working with ASW and Tourism WA to provide training options and information sessions for those interested or who are potentially trade-ready.
MRBTA has also developed an industry toolkit which is accessible here. The resources in this toolkit are free of charge to download and will guide your business in becoming ‘domestic ready’. By this, we mean that your business will:
- Develop your experience offering in order to meet the expectations of the discerning domestic traveller.
- Develop the way that you market your business online and through travel trade, in order to be found in the places where domestic travellers are looking when they plan their holidays.
- Develop your sales channels in order for domestic travellers to book or purchase your product in a seamless way.
CAMPAIGN
The initial Marketing Campaign will focus on the Margaret River Region, with further information and marketing provided on BunGeo and Southern Forests and Valleys in the second year of operation. That said, in the Jetstar Magazine November Issue, Tourism Western Australia and the City of Busselton secured extensive coverage that ‘raises a toast’ to the Geographe Wine Region, with Willow Bridge, Thompsons Brook and Capel Vale wineries securing a mention. Click here to view.
In the meantime, tag your images with the following hashtags:
- #MelbsToMargs
- #AustraliasSouthWest
- #thisisWA
- #JetstarAustralia
- #busseltonmargaretriverairport
- #VisitBunburyGeographe
