winning

Award winning Ansett okay far Fiji

ABOUT a week before it was due to begin its

inaugural Nadi-Sydney

flight, Ansett Australia was given the green light from the Fiji government.

Services between Sydney and Nadi have been approved from November 24 onwards, following endorsement by the Australian government for Ansett to oper ate twice weekly service between the two countries.

At the same time, Ansett was awarded the prestigious Australian Federation of Travel Agents/National Travel Industry Award as “the Airline of the Year” for the fifth year in a row.

Ansett Australia’s Business Development Manager, Mr Terry Saxby, said the airline planned its Fiji launch with flair.

The guest list for the inaugural flight included top media and travel people, as well as the Ansett Chairman, Mr Ken

Cowley.

Mr Saxby said that Ansett would be a major asset for Fiji, not only in increasing the air services between the two countries but because of its marketing strength in Australia.

"Ansett has 400 retail travel agencies in Australia; combine that with our recog nised marketing expertise, means that Fiji will receive greater promotion from one of its primary markets,” Mr Saxby said.

This is good news for the Fiji govern ment that, 12 months ago, was fearful for the future of the tourism industry because of the global economic crisis.

Earlier this year, the Korean govern ment suspended its national airline service to Fiji because of the Asian crisis. Korean Airlines drew up a revised operating schedule in which flights to Fiji were sus pended.

However, tourists from other regions have pulled Fiji through disruptions in the sugar industry as well as a sluggish local economy.

One of the major players in the Fiji air line industry is Air New Zealand - one of the partners in Ansett.

Fiji has benefited from the company’s changes to longhaul services to London and Frankfurt through Los Angeles - this allowed passengers from Europe easier and

more frequent access to Fiji and other South Pacific destinations.

The one-stop service from Frankfurt to Fiji was considered very attractive to the European market boosting visitors from that region.

Other highlights of the Air New Zealand schedule included; * The Auckland/Papeete/Los Angeles service was increased to three Boeing 767 flights per week;

The existing

Auckland/Apia/Honolulu service was extended to Los Angeles, with the

Auckland/Apia service continuing.

*The Coral Route service of

Auckland/Nadi/Rarotonga/Papeete began

flying on to Los Angeles.

All the services were designed to enhance Air New Zealand's Destination South Pacific strategy. ■

The sky’s the limit for Fiji’s tourism industry, with full-scale marketing programmes in swing by many agencies and airlines, including new carrier Ansett.