Page 41 - Tropic Magazine Issue 12

Industry
Tourism

Q&A
with Jin Jen Chang
SilkAir Manager Cairns
Are you pleased with the growth in flights between
Cairns and Singapore?
We are pleased with the performance of the route since
we started this service three years ago. We started with
thrice weekly service with Darwin, and now it has grown
to five-times weekly direct flights.

How has the relationship with Cairns organisations such
as the airport, the State Government and TTNQ
developed over the years?
We have a great partnership with Cairns Airport and
TTNQ. We are continuously discussing how we can
collaborate to develop more inbound traffic by tapping on
our connectivity as a network carrier. Our partners in
Cairns Airport and TTNQ have been very supportive of us,
To mark the occasion, Tropic sat What are your passengers saying about the lights? which has contributed to the growth of this route.
down with SilkAir to talk about the We have received positive feedback from our customers and Is there potential for further growth on this route?
evolution and impact of the flights. travel agents, telling us that they enjoy the direct light to Cairns continues to have high potential for further growth
Singapore, from which they could travel seamlessly onward and we are always reviewing opportunities to further
How has the service between Cairns to other destinations in Southeast Asia and Europe on develop this route.
and Singapore grown since launching Singapore Airlines and SilkAir. Since we started lying the
in 2015? Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircra t in January earlier this year, we Is there awareness in Singapore about Cairns as a great
We launched our inaugural SilkAir have received lots of positive feedback from passengers destination?
light to Cairns on 30th May 2015. We regarding the refreshed cabin ambience and improved Yes. My colleagues in Singapore have been working
were operating a circular light routing Business Class product. closely with TTNQ to actively promote Cairns as a tourist
with Darwin, lying thrice-weekly when destination. In April, they had a roadshow in Singapore to
we first started. Driven by strong What are some of the benefits in terms of international promote travel packages and attractions in Cairns.
inbound tourism and with the support connections? Besides the Great Barrier Reef which is the key attraction
of our key agents in Australia, we have Passengers can travel seamlessly in one booking to over 100 in Cairns, we are keen to further highlight Atherton
grown the route progressively and destinations from Cairns via Singapore, on SilkAir, Tablelands and promote a self-drive itinerary there, which
Singaporeans love.
increased our light frequency to five Singapore Airlines and our low-cost arm Scoot. Transit time
times weekly, lying direct to can be as short as under an hour in Singapore before SilkAir flights have been an excellent boost to the Cairns
Singapore. In terms of the profile of our catching the onward light, which means that people can economy at a time when our economy wasn't as strong
inbound passengers, we are seeing travel from Cairns to Phuket in just 9 hours and to Europe as it is becoming now. Are you proud of SilkAir's role in
passengers from Singapore, United from 21 hours. Our passengers can also redeem a Changi helping to lift up the city of Cairns?
Kingdom, Germany and India travelling Transit Reward voucher valued at SGD20 for shopping and Cairns is a popular tourist destination well-liked by our
on us to visit Cairns and Far North dining in Singapore Changi Airport, if their travel itinerary is customers in Asia and Europe, and our flight schedule
Queensland. I believe that we have eligible for it. has been timed ideally to capture these travellers. We are
made a positive contribution to the happy to hear our flights have contributed positively to
local tourism industry. boost Cairns’ economy.