SINGAPORE: Broome resident Kim Curry was looking forward to a trip to Singapore to reconnect with the city she last visited more than 30 years ago.
Back then, she was a travel agent selling tour packages to Australia. This time, she wanted to bring along her daughter, who moved from Broome to Perth for school at age 19.
“It’s been a really big learning curve for her to try and know what a city is, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to take her to Singapore to expand her experience,” said Ms Curry.
The remote coastal town of Broome, on the north-western tip of Australia, has a population of 14,660 people. Despite having no traffic lights, it boasts its own airport.
Singapore has been that airport’s one and only international destination – but not for long.
With the closure of Jetstar Asia, the airline’s Broome-Singapore route will cease from Jul 31, cutting off the town’s only direct transport link to the world beyond Australia.
In Broome, Ms Curry’s daughter grew up with “wide open skies”. One of the shocks of moving to a city was looking up and realising she could no longer see the Milky Way at night.
City roads also posed new challenges. “She was like, I don’t know how to do a traffic light, because she’d never driven in a city before. She’d never been on a freeway where you had to merge," said her mother, who is from Perth and has lived in Europe and the United Kingdom.
The Sun Picture Gardens outdoor cinema in Broome's Chinatown. (Photo: Taryn Yeates)
Almost everyone Ms Curry knows in Broome has taken advantage of the four-hour flights to Singapore.
The seasonal service started in June 2024, flying twice a week before pausing in October 2024 ahead of the cyclone season.
The service restarted in April. Now, its abrupt end means that Broome residents hoping to travel abroad must once again fly more than two-and-a-half hours to Perth, and transit there.
“It adds cost, time and complexity, which limits international travel and business growth,” said Ms Curry, who runs her own marketing and consultancy firm.
The people of Broome are “devastated” the route is being cut off, because they have worked hard to market themselves as a tourist destination, she said.
Ms Mel Virgo, the general manager of Broome Visitor Centre, agreed the loss of the route would highly impact the local community, as many have invested in marketing themselves to visitors.
“It comes during what has already been a challenging start to the season for tourism businesses across the region,” she said.
Ms Curry’s own marketing work was boosted by the route as Broome businesses sought to target the Asian market. She was also starting to build connections with travel wholesalers in Singapore.
“That’s all up in the air now. With no direct flight, it’s harder and more expensive for tourists and I’m unsure if those packages will go ahead,” she said.
Kayakers in Roebuck Bay near Broome, Western Australia. (Photo: CJ Maddock)
As a travel destination, Broome is known for camel rides on the beach, dinosaur footprints and whale-watching. It is also a gateway to the Kimberley, a wilderness region in Western Australia.
The town also has unexpected links to Asia. It has Japanese street names, and houses Australia’s largest Japanese cemetery – legacies of a pearling industry that attracted Japanese migrants from the late 19th century to mid-20th century.
Chan Brothers Travel's senior marketing communications executive Trista Foo said the loss of the direct flight to Broome “came at an unfortunate time, just as awareness of the destination was gaining momentum, posing a significant setback”.
The agency has paused sales of its package tour to Broome, while continuing to offer six free-and-easy options that exclude flight arrangements. It is reviewing its offerings in Broome and exploring alternative connections through Perth.
“However, without a direct flight from Singapore, the journey may extend to around 10 hours including layovers, which could affect the overall travel experience and impact demand for Broome as a destination,” said Ms Foo.
Singapore was chosen as a connection point to Broome because of its proximity and the hub connectivity it offers, Broome International Airport CEO Craig Shaw told CNA.
The airport also serves domestic flights around Australia, averaging about eight departures and eight arrivals a day this week, during its dry season.
The arrivals building at Broome International Airport. (Photo: Facebook/Broome International Airport)
Singaporeans are “well-versed” in visiting Western Australia, and Changi Airport also provides direct connections for travellers from Europe and the UK, who are regular visitors to the Kimberley region, said Mr Shaw.
The Broome-Singapore service also received financial support from both Broome International Airport and the state government of Western Australia.
The flights showed promising initial results, and awareness of the route was growing, according to a Jun 11 statement from Broome International Airport, the same day that Jetstar Asia's closure was announced.
The Singapore-based budget airline has been reeling from rising supplier costs, higher airport fees and intensifying competition.
“It’s unfortunate that more time wasn’t available to ensure the service could reach sustainable levels,” Mr Shaw said.
Jetstar Asia was not the first airline to ply the route. From 2018 to 2019, now-defunct SilkAir trialled a seasonal service between Broome and Singapore, before the COVID-19 pandemic closed borders.
Tourists ride camels on Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia. (Photo: Chan Brothers Travel)
For some Broome residents like Clare Cowen, the flights were also a victim of under-promotion.
The retiree said she, her family and her friends had flown the route frequently since it started. She was planning to use it to go to Bali and the Philippines this year.
“From our experience, the service wasn’t marketed effectively – especially in Singapore, where we saw little to no advertising promoting the unique appeal of Western Australia’s north-west,” she said.
The West Australian newspaper reported that Jetstar owner Qantas and Jetstar Australian management have rejected taking over the Broome-Singapore flights, claiming the service has been barely half-full since it started.
The CEO of Western Australia’s Tourism Council also told the Perth daily that the flights were not “hugely patronised” by international passengers, though they had given the Broome economy a boost.
For now, Broome International Airport has said it will keep working to forge international connections. The town’s residents, meanwhile, will be looking for other doors to open.
“We need to make sure this isn’t a lost opportunity," said Ms Curry. "And the little momentum we’ve gained – that we continue to build and grow on that."
Continue reading...
Back then, she was a travel agent selling tour packages to Australia. This time, she wanted to bring along her daughter, who moved from Broome to Perth for school at age 19.
“It’s been a really big learning curve for her to try and know what a city is, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to take her to Singapore to expand her experience,” said Ms Curry.
The remote coastal town of Broome, on the north-western tip of Australia, has a population of 14,660 people. Despite having no traffic lights, it boasts its own airport.
Singapore has been that airport’s one and only international destination – but not for long.
With the closure of Jetstar Asia, the airline’s Broome-Singapore route will cease from Jul 31, cutting off the town’s only direct transport link to the world beyond Australia.
In Broome, Ms Curry’s daughter grew up with “wide open skies”. One of the shocks of moving to a city was looking up and realising she could no longer see the Milky Way at night.
City roads also posed new challenges. “She was like, I don’t know how to do a traffic light, because she’d never driven in a city before. She’d never been on a freeway where you had to merge," said her mother, who is from Perth and has lived in Europe and the United Kingdom.
The Sun Picture Gardens outdoor cinema in Broome's Chinatown. (Photo: Taryn Yeates)
Almost everyone Ms Curry knows in Broome has taken advantage of the four-hour flights to Singapore.
The seasonal service started in June 2024, flying twice a week before pausing in October 2024 ahead of the cyclone season.
The service restarted in April. Now, its abrupt end means that Broome residents hoping to travel abroad must once again fly more than two-and-a-half hours to Perth, and transit there.
“It adds cost, time and complexity, which limits international travel and business growth,” said Ms Curry, who runs her own marketing and consultancy firm.
The people of Broome are “devastated” the route is being cut off, because they have worked hard to market themselves as a tourist destination, she said.
Ms Mel Virgo, the general manager of Broome Visitor Centre, agreed the loss of the route would highly impact the local community, as many have invested in marketing themselves to visitors.
“It comes during what has already been a challenging start to the season for tourism businesses across the region,” she said.
Ms Curry’s own marketing work was boosted by the route as Broome businesses sought to target the Asian market. She was also starting to build connections with travel wholesalers in Singapore.
“That’s all up in the air now. With no direct flight, it’s harder and more expensive for tourists and I’m unsure if those packages will go ahead,” she said.
Kayakers in Roebuck Bay near Broome, Western Australia. (Photo: CJ Maddock)
Related:
As a travel destination, Broome is known for camel rides on the beach, dinosaur footprints and whale-watching. It is also a gateway to the Kimberley, a wilderness region in Western Australia.
The town also has unexpected links to Asia. It has Japanese street names, and houses Australia’s largest Japanese cemetery – legacies of a pearling industry that attracted Japanese migrants from the late 19th century to mid-20th century.
Chan Brothers Travel's senior marketing communications executive Trista Foo said the loss of the direct flight to Broome “came at an unfortunate time, just as awareness of the destination was gaining momentum, posing a significant setback”.
The agency has paused sales of its package tour to Broome, while continuing to offer six free-and-easy options that exclude flight arrangements. It is reviewing its offerings in Broome and exploring alternative connections through Perth.
“However, without a direct flight from Singapore, the journey may extend to around 10 hours including layovers, which could affect the overall travel experience and impact demand for Broome as a destination,” said Ms Foo.
Singapore was chosen as a connection point to Broome because of its proximity and the hub connectivity it offers, Broome International Airport CEO Craig Shaw told CNA.
The airport also serves domestic flights around Australia, averaging about eight departures and eight arrivals a day this week, during its dry season.
The arrivals building at Broome International Airport. (Photo: Facebook/Broome International Airport)
Related:
Singaporeans are “well-versed” in visiting Western Australia, and Changi Airport also provides direct connections for travellers from Europe and the UK, who are regular visitors to the Kimberley region, said Mr Shaw.
The Broome-Singapore service also received financial support from both Broome International Airport and the state government of Western Australia.
The flights showed promising initial results, and awareness of the route was growing, according to a Jun 11 statement from Broome International Airport, the same day that Jetstar Asia's closure was announced.
The Singapore-based budget airline has been reeling from rising supplier costs, higher airport fees and intensifying competition.
“It’s unfortunate that more time wasn’t available to ensure the service could reach sustainable levels,” Mr Shaw said.
Jetstar Asia was not the first airline to ply the route. From 2018 to 2019, now-defunct SilkAir trialled a seasonal service between Broome and Singapore, before the COVID-19 pandemic closed borders.
Tourists ride camels on Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia. (Photo: Chan Brothers Travel)
For some Broome residents like Clare Cowen, the flights were also a victim of under-promotion.
The retiree said she, her family and her friends had flown the route frequently since it started. She was planning to use it to go to Bali and the Philippines this year.
“From our experience, the service wasn’t marketed effectively – especially in Singapore, where we saw little to no advertising promoting the unique appeal of Western Australia’s north-west,” she said.
The West Australian newspaper reported that Jetstar owner Qantas and Jetstar Australian management have rejected taking over the Broome-Singapore flights, claiming the service has been barely half-full since it started.
The CEO of Western Australia’s Tourism Council also told the Perth daily that the flights were not “hugely patronised” by international passengers, though they had given the Broome economy a boost.
For now, Broome International Airport has said it will keep working to forge international connections. The town’s residents, meanwhile, will be looking for other doors to open.
“We need to make sure this isn’t a lost opportunity," said Ms Curry. "And the little momentum we’ve gained – that we continue to build and grow on that."
Continue reading...