By James Wilkinson
Virgin Blue Group has given Fiji tourism a huge boost with the announcement of new direct Pacific Blue flights to Nadi from both Adelaide and Melbourne.
Pacific Blue has increased Fiji flights by 25 per cent
Commencing in June, the new flights will increase the group’s capacity in and out of Fiji by 25 percent and could not have come at a better time. The Fiji hotel market has been reeling since the January floods, with many hotels still reporting low occupancies.
“We are very pleased to be committing aircraft to the Fiji market where we see continuing opportunities to stimulate the market with more direct flights and affordable fares,” said Virgin Blue Group CEO Brett Godfrey.
“We welcome the chance to provide a further boost to tourism to a destination that has attracted consistent demand in terms of our existing services.”
The Adelaide-Nadi flights is the second international service from the South Australian capital by Pacific Blue (alongside Denpasar) and the first time the two cities have ever had a direct connection.
“As a South Pacific neighbour, Fiji is a highly attractive holiday option, in particular when people are looking to travel closer to home for short breaks, something we have seen a strong trend towards in recent months,” Godfrey said.
The announcement of flights is welcome news for the MICE market, which means access to Fiji for conferences is now as good as many Australian cities.
Twice-weekly flights on both routes commence on June 4 (ex-Melbourne) and June 5 (Adelaide). Fares are currently on sale from $239 and $249 each-way respectively.
