AirAsia adds to Bali flights
Indonesia AirAsia will add a fourth daily service to the Perth to Bali route as government figures reveal that traffic on the route has doubled.
Last year, 339,000 holiday-makers flocked to Bali as five airlines offered up to eight flights a day with bargain fares.
AirAsia general manager Australia Darren Wright said yesterday the demand for the airline's three daily services from WA had been incredible.
“We have excellent loads and a fourth service will further grow the route,” Mr Wright said.
AirAsia's low-fare impact is not confined to the Bali route with its twice-daily services to Kuala Lumpur doubling traffic to more than 200,000 passengers a year.
Once on the ground AirAsia has more than 80,000 hotels most with special deals across Asia available through its website.
However the AirAsia deals have impacted tourism in WA with a 6.8 per cent decline in travellers seeing their own state last year.
According to Tourism Western Australia figures for the year ending December 2010 the number of trips declined from 4.17 million to 3.89 million although room nights only declined 1 per cent and spend stayed about the same.
However as a three year trend the figures were troubling with almost double digit declines in the three key measures – visits, room nights and spend.
