Qantas has announced a collaboration with wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and Tourism Australia to boost international visitation to Australia.

In the first wave of the joint marketing campaign, Tourism Australia and Qantas have launched the Qantas Explorer in Singapore program, which bundles domestic flights in Australia with an international ticket, supporting dispersal through fare deals to more than 45 Australian destinations.

The Singaporean market delivers high repeat visitation, with the campaign aiming to encourage both familiar and new visitors to explore more of Australia for less.

The Qantas Explorer program will also be promoted across joint campaigns in key markets including the United States, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

Qantas Group Chief Brand and Corporate Affairs Officer Danielle Keighery said: "Robert Irwin is one of Australia's most loved personalities and there is no one better placed to showcase our country to the world.

“For Qantas, that experience starts the moment customers step onboard one of our aircraft, through our distinctly Australian hospitality, food and wine.”

Robert Irwin said: "Qantas has been part of my life since I was about the size of a loaf of bread. Some of my earliest memories are walking down the aerobridge with Mum and getting to visit the flight deck.

"When I get on a Qantas flight, I'm amongst friends. There is something about the warm Australian hospitality that feels like home. Getting to join forces with our national carrier to show the world just how much Australia has to offer is something that means a great deal to me."

Learn more here.

Non-stop New York-Sydney route announced

Qantas also announced it will launch non-stop services between Sydney and New York from mid-2028 as part of Project Sunrise.

Tickets for the inaugural service will go on sale from August 2027. The flights will cut more than three hours off the total travel time compared with current one-stop services today, connecting New York with Australia's east coast without a stop for the first time in history.

New York is the second Project Sunrise route to be confirmed, following the London to Sydney non-stop flights that begin in October 2027.

The Project Sunrise flights will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000 kilometres and up to 22 hours non-stop. Qantas will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.

Demand for travel between the United States and Australia continues to grow, with visitor arrivals from the US up five per cent year-on-year.

Demand in and out of New York on Qantas has nearly doubled since 2023 and the appetite for non-stop, ultra long-haul flying has also continued to grow, with intent to book rising from 58 to 70 per cent since February this year, and reaching 80 per cent among premium travellers.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said: “Conquering the tyranny of distance has been part of who Qantas is from the very beginning. Reaching New York non-stop completes a vision we set out many years ago and it's a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality.”

Learn more here.