Jetstar’s first daily Melbourne-Singapore-Beijing service takes off today, making the Chinese capital an affordable holiday destination for more Australians.

Jetstar Australia & NZ CEO, David Hall, said Beijing was the latest destination now within reach for more Australians. The route would also encourage increased numbers of tourists to come to Australia.

“Low fares mean people can expand their holiday horizons,” said Mr Hall.

“This new route to Beijing means more Australians can explore the Great Wall of China, Terracotta Warriors or the Forbidden City.

“It won’t only be backpackers on these flights, it will be families who want to experience something unique on a budget. We also expect a lot of people living in Australia will capitalise on the low fares to visit friends and family in China more often,” he added.

Australia is home to an estimated 200,000 Chinese-born residents, with 50,000 living in Victoria

Current one-way Economy Starter sale fares start from AUD$398*.

Mr Hall said the new route was expected to contribute to a continued increase in tourists from China to Australia, with Melbourne Airport reporting a 27 per cent jump in Chinese passport arrivals during the past year.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy welcomed the new route, saying Australian businesses were working hard to capitalise “on the big inbound growth opportunities in China and Asia”.

“The region’s fast growing markets are playing a critical part in achieving our industry’s 2020 tourism goals,” Mr McEvoy said.

"This latest route also strengthens the air links between Australia and Singapore, which remains one of our stand-out South East Asian markets, surpassing 300,000 visitor arrivals last year," he added.

Beijing is the Jetstar Group’s 10th destination in China. The airline flies to a total of 15 international destinations from Australia with almost 60 destinations across its Pan Asian network.

Jetstar will operate an Airbus A330 on its Singapore-Beijing service, configured for 303 passengers across business and economy classes. Jetstar will be the first low cost carrier to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which will gradually replace its A330s from mid-2013.

*Singapore-Beijing Route Fare sale information

Jetstar is offering one-way Economy Starter sale fares forAUD$398 and Business Starter sale fares forAUD$988. The sale commences at 12:01am (AEDT) on the 24 November 2011 and runs until 11.59pm (AEDT) on 24 November 2011 unless seats sell out prior. This sale is valid for travel from 12 April until 23 May 2012. Not available on all flights and days. Conditions apply. To book and for more details visit Jetstar.com.

Jetstar’s daily Melbourne-Beijing (via Singapore) schedule:

• Melbourne – Singapore  - JQ7 12:00 – 16:50
• Singapore – Beijing - JQ7 18:35 – 00:50 (+1)
• Beijing – Singapore - JQ8 02:50 – 09:30
• Singapore – Melbourne - JQ8 20:50 – 06:55 (+1)