THE Hunter Region will be marketed to potential visitors from South-East Asia, New Zealand and far-flung parts of Australia, as Newcastle Airport plans to extend its reach beyond the east coast.
The Herald revealed the airport's long-term expansion plans on Saturday, including flights to Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin within two years, and longer-term plans to fly to New Zealand, Fiji, China and Japan.
The news has excited the region's tourism chief, who said yesterday the expansion of the airport meant more potential visitors.
"The expansion of the airport is going to be great for local tourism," Hunter Tourism chief executive officer Sheridan Ferrier said.
Ms Ferrier said the majority of Hunter Tourism's marketing was aimed at attracting visitors from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, which were the airport's main routes, as well as car travellers from regional NSW.
"We can re-align our marketing strategy so we can target those markets [with direct flights]," she said.
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