New perspective on region on offer as Scenic Helicopters launches Albany tours in time for holiday period

There will be extra activity around Albany Town Jetty over the coming months following the launch of a new tourism experience venture this week. Santa did away with the sleigh and reindeer when he touched down at the jetty on Wednesday to deliver early presents to some lucky children and to help launch Scenic Helicopters’ range of Albany Tours. Owner and chief pilot Jackson McLeod has more than 10 years of experience in the industry and said he was excited to have the opportunity to show people a different perspective of “a really spectacular coastline”. “It’s can be pretty mind-blowing to see the area from a different perspective, particularly if you’ve grown up in the area,” he said. “I remember the first time I did it in Margaret River and it really opened my eyes. “People can expect a super fun time and a lot of excitement because it can be a tailored intimate experience.” Scenic Helicopters offers a range of tours in the Margaret River region and has previously operated from Broome. The Albany tour offerings range from short 20-minute trips to longer experiences that will see passengers delivered right to the door of regional tourism and hospitality hotspots. It is not the first time scenic helicopter tours have operated from Albany, but they have not previously operated from such a central location. “We find that the visibility can be a big part of the market, especially when it comes to spontaneous bookings for people,” Mr McLeod said. “It’s just a portion of the type of business we attract, a lot of it can be special occasions type work as well.” State Government support through the National Parks Tourism Experiences Development Program has helped get the Albany tours off the ground. Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the Government was proud to support Scenic Helicopters’ venture in the Great Southern. “This exciting new tourism offering will give visitors to Albany a spectacular birds-eye view of the Great Southern by one of WA’s established and trusted tour operators,” she said. Australia’s South West chief executive Catrin Allsop said she was confident the experienced operators would become “a welcome addition to the Albany community” having previously worked alongside them in the South West. As a special introductory offer $99 short flights are available for the next two days on a walk-up basis.