This week marked the first ever time that a Chinese airline had landed at Gold Coast Airport – as a China Southern Airlines charter flight transported 280 influential delegates to Australia. 

The move is a strong marker of things to come in the future as both the Executive Vice President of China Southern Air Holding and President and CEO of China Southern Airlines both suggested it would not be the last time that a plane from the airline was to land at the airport. On hand to welcome delegates was Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter who commented “This is one of the most significant steps in the growth and sustainability of the Gold Coast’s $4.5billion tourism industry.”

This is the first time that China Southern Airlines has held its annual corporate conference outside of China and the delegates will spend four days exploring everything the region has to offer. According to the Tourism Minister, Jan Jarratt, in the year to September the state of Queensland played host to 202,000 Chinese visitors – a 17 per cent increase on the previous year.