 |
Melbourne |
|
The industrial-size spoonfuls of monetary medicine prescribed to treat the disease of recession are not confined to the UK, writes Colin Ellson. Australia and New Zealand have fared reasonably well during the global downturn due to fiscal stimulus. Even so,
both have had house calls from financial physicians, determined to maintain their patients’ economic wellbeing.
As a result, Australia is taking measures such as raising productivity and improving wobbly relations with its vast Chinese market, while New Zealand’s recent budget was designed to boost investment and domestic demand.
So is now the right time for UK companies to dip a first-time toe into the Antipodean markets or to attempt the expansion of existing business? Given the deep economic and social relationship Britain has with each country, that the UK is Australia’s fifth-largest source of imports and New Zealand our fifth-largest partner in two-way trade, and that both are forecasting positive economic growth, the answer is in the affirmative.
Words of encouragement come from UK Trade & Invest, which lists potential in financial services, mining and minerals, biotechnology, science and innovation in Australia, and in the agriculture, education, healthcare and pharmaceuticals sectors across the Tasman Sea.
Researching specific opportunities is essential, however, before even thinking about buying staff an airline ticket. Having got the go-ahead, the choice of airlines flying Down Under from the UK is staggering, with easy connections via Asian gateways or direct flights from Europe and the Gulf.
On this occasion, a business class fare is well worth the outlay: Australia is 23 hours’ flying time from the UK, New Zealand 25 hours distant. It goes without saying that executives who have enjoyed the benefits of superior service and a lie-flat bed will be far better placed to get down to the negotiations ahead of them than those consigned to economy. Fair dinkum, in fact.
Adelaide, Australia
South Australia’s seat of government was founded in 1836 as a freely settled province, as opposed to the penal colony of Sydney. Located on the River Torrens, the city is the site of many administrative and financial institutions, its economy primarily based on manufacturing, defence technology, electronics and research. Almost 50 per cent of the cars produced in Australia are made in Adelaide.
Qantas flies from London Heathrow to Adelaide via Singapore three times weekly, Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong up to ten times a week. Malaysia Airlines departs Kuala Lumpur four times weekly, and Singapore Airlines flies from Singapore daily. KLM serves Adelaide from Amsterdam Schiphol via Kuala Lumpur four times a week, and Air France operates a trio of weekly departures out of Paris Charles de Gaulle via Singapore.
Brisbane, Australia
The capital of Queensland, situated between the Brisbane River and the Great Dividing Range of mountains, has a population of some two million, 25 per cent of them overseas immigrants, giving the city a cosmopolitan flavour. Its economy is made up of sunrise and heavy industries, divided between electronics, IT, financial services and higher education on the one hand, petroleum refining, paper milling and metal working on the other.
From London Heathrow, Qantas flies to Brisbane via Singapore daily, Cathay has up to ten departures a week via Hong Kong, Japan Airlines offers a daily service via Tokyo (suspended from September 30), and Korean Air operates daily via Seoul. Frequent flights are offered by Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia out of Kuala Lumpur, by China Airlines from Taipei, Singapore Airlines from Singapore, Thai Airways departing Bangkok, and Royal Brunei from Bandar Seri Begawan. KLM and Air France provide one-stop services from Schiphol and Paris CDG respectively, and Emirates and Etihad fly from the Gulf.
Canberra, Australia
To end the argument between Melburnians and Sydneysiders as to which of their cities had the greater claim to be Australia’s capital, newly finished Canberra fulfilled that role from 1928. Bland like most purpose-built capitals – think Brazil’s Brasilia – the metropolis houses numerous government departments and agencies, which, together with defence, software and health companies, drive the economy here.
There are no direct flights from the UK to Canberra, which means travelling onwards from a major Australian gateway.
Darwin, Australia
The capital of the Northern Territory is closer to Indonesia than it is to Sydney, and nearer to Singapore than to Melbourne. This proximity to Asia makes it the gateway for increasing trade with the region, helping to explain its development from a pioneer outpost into one of the country’s most multicultural cities. In addition to tourism and trade, the largest contributors to the economy are mining and energy production.
Qantas flies from Heathrow to Singapore daily, passengers connecting with Jetstar for the onward sector to Darwin.
Melbourne, Australia
Located on the estuary of the Yarra River, the sophisticated capital city of Victoria can trace its prosperity back to the gold rush of the 1850s, which transformed it into one of the world’s largest and wealthiest cities. Its economy is strong on financial services, manufacturing, education, research and IT.
From Heathrow, Qantas operates to Melbourne 17 times a week, flying via Singapore, Hong King or Bangkok, while Korean Air flies daily via Seoul. There are direct flights from Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia, from Singapore flying Singapore Airlines, and out of Bangkok on Thai Airways.
Frequent continental departures are flown by KLM from Schiphol via Kuala Lumpur, and by Air France from Paris CDG via Hong Kong or Singapore. Departures from the Gulf are with Emirates out of Dubai, Etihad from Abu Dhabi, and Qatar Airways from Doha.
Perth, Australia
The capital of Western Australia, located between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Range of mountains, has the highest number of millionaires per capita in the world. While the city is an administrative centre for government and business, and its economic staples are mining, agriculture and petroleum production, this conspicuous wealth is founded not only on these sectors but also on the service industries supplying their every need.
There are five flights a week from London Heathrow to Perth with Qantas via Singapore, and up to ten flying with Cathay via Hong Kong. Asian departures are flown by Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur, Jetstar and Singapore Airlines out of Singapore, by Thai Airways operating from Bangkok, and by Royal Brunei from Bandar Seri Begawan. KLM flies from Schiphol via Kuala Lumpur, Air France from Paris CDG via Singapore, and Emirates offers a twice-daily frequency departing Dubai.
Sydney, Australia
Built on hills surrounding its harbour, the capital of New South Wales is the largest city in Australia, home to around 4.5million Sydneysiders. It began life as a penal colony, but today Sydney is a multicultural city, welcoming over 2.5million – hopefully law-abiding – international leisure and executive visitors a year. The latter come to do business with a mix of companies, including those involved in IT, financial services, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, and the exploitation of mineral resources.
From Heathrow, Qantas offers three flights a day to Sydney, flying via Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong, with British Airways code-sharing on two of the services. In addition, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air and Japan Airlines fly daily from Heathrow via Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo respectively, while Cathay operates up to ten times a week through Hong Kong. Departures from Asia are with Thai Airways from Bangkok, Malaysia Airlines from Kuala Lumpur, China Airlines from Taipei and Singapore Airlines from Singapore. KLM
and Air France operate to Sydney out of Schiphol via Kuala Lumpur and Paris CDG via Hong Kong/Singapore respectively, and Emirates and Etihad fly from the Gulf.
Auckland, New Zealand
On the North Island of New Zealand, Auckland is known in Maori as Tamaki Makau Rau, meaning “Maiden with 100 lovers”. That amount of suitors has grown significantly over the past 20 years as an increasing number of Asians emigrate to what has been ranked the world’s fourth ‘most liveable city’. The commercial hub of the nation, Auckland has a varied economy, its traditional industries including food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and equipment, supplemented by the fast-growing financial services, creative, IT and biotechnology sectors.
Air New Zealand has up to 12 flights a week from Heathrow to Auckland via Los Angeles and Hong Kong, Cathay flies via Hong Kong, with a maximum frequency of ten weekly services, and Korean Air operates daily via Seoul. Asian departures are with Malaysia Airlines from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore Airlines from Singapore, Japan Airlines from Tokyo, and Thai Airways ex Bangkok. Royal Brunei offers flights to Auckland from Bandar Seri Begawan, and Emirates has a thrice-daily service from Dubai.
Christchurch, New Zealand
It used to be said there were 20 sheep for every person in New Zealand, and the figure is probably holding up in Christchurch. For while it has flirted with heavy engineering, the largest city on the South Island has returned to the agricultural industry as the mainstay of its economy. There is also a thriving wine industry, and the technology sector has blossomed too.
There are currently no direct services from the UK to Christchurch. Popular options include Singapore Airlines’ five operations a week from Singapore to Christchurch and Emirates’ direct daily departure out of Dubai. Alternatively, connect with Air New Zealand domestic flights from Auckland, or fly from a major Australian gateway.
Wellington, New Zealand
The capital of New Zealand is situated in the far south of New Zealand’s more populous North Island, and lies between Cook Strait
and the Rimutaka Range of mountains. The southernmost capital city in the world, Wellington has been a leader in social reform, instrumental in New Zealand becoming the first country to grant votes for women in 1893. Today’s economy is focused on services to the government, IT, telecoms, finance, biotech-nology and a burgeoning film industry.
With no flights from the UK to Wellington, getting there is a question of catching a domestic flight from Auckland or travelling via one of Australia’s main airports.
The Carbon cost
The table below shows the distance covered by a return flight between London and the destination, along with the approximate carbon emissions and the cost of offsetting it with The CarbonNeutral Company.
See www.carbonneutral.com for more information.
|
|
|
|
