Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, and Virgin Blue, Australia’s multi-award winning airline, have teamed up to launch the Emirates Visit Australia Pass allowing unprecedented access to the continent.

The pass offers attractively-priced domestic connections to 22 additional Australian destinations on Virgin Blue from all four Australian cities currently served by Emirates: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Emirates passengers visiting this large, diverse and stunning country can extend their journey to Adelaide, Albury, Broome, Byron Bay, Cairns, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, Darwin, Fraser Coast, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Karratha, Launceston, Mackay, Mildura, Newcastle, Newman, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Whitsunday Coast with Virgin Blue.

The selection of cities will be expanded to include new destinations operated by Virgin Blue in future.

The Emirates Visit Australia Pass heralds positive news for Australian tourism - especially for centres outside the major cities.

The pass is yet another compelling consumer offer from Emirates and Virgin Blue, and closely follows an interline agreement reached between the two airlines last month to provide a convenient, single ticket option for travellers flying to regional points in Australia.

Both initiatives will pave the way for seamless travel between Emirates’ extensive global network of 99 destinations in 60 countries, and Virgin Blue’s robust Australian footprint.

“Due to the sheer size of Australia, many visitors prefer to fly as against drive within the country,” said Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, commercial operations worldwide.

“With the Emirates Visit Australia Pass our passengers will benefit from an increased reach, conveniently accessing 22 additional Australian gateways from our four online points,” he added.

“We look forward to working with Virgin Blue and hope to grow this relationship to deliver a truly competitive offering for our customers.”

The pass must be issued in combination with return flights on Emirates to Australia on a single ticket. The international return journey must originate outside Australia and New Zealand. For travellers it means an enhanced travel experience with simple and streamlined ticketing.

A minimum of two and a maximum of four domestic Virgin Blue flights can be combined with Emirates flights. Ticketing must be completed by March 31, 2010 and travel should conclude within the validity period of the international ticket.

Interline guests transiting through Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney will be provided free transfers between the domestic and international airports.

“The Emirates Visit Australia Pass is an encouraging development for the Australian tourism industry as it offers an easy incentive for overseas travellers to see more of Australia and thereby stay longer. Emirates’ initiative to sell this product via travel agents worldwide is testament to its commitment to the Australian market,” Vaughan added. – TradeArabia News Service