Qantas and Tourism Western Australia have lifted the value of their tourism marketing partnership to $12.9 million to maximise the benefits of the national carrier’s Perth to London service.

With the service set to launch in March 2018, the additional $5.7 million in funding will be used to promote Western Australia in the United Kingdom, Europe and locally highlighting Perth as the perfect stopover destination for international visitors and connecting domestic customers.

Qantas International chief executive Gareth Evans said the direct link to Europe was a vote of confidence in Perth’s potential as a tourism hub.

“We want our new service to be a game-changer not just for Qantas but for the West too, so it made perfect sense to step up our relationship with Tourism Western Australia,” Evans said.

“For the first time, visitors from the UK and Europe are going to have a direct flight to Australia.

“The goal is to make sure they look at spending a few days getting to know Perth and discovering its regional centres, before going to see the rest of the country.

“It’s about building on what we already do to promote West Australia in some of our biggest markets and sending the message that Perth is a new gateway to exploring Australia.”

Premier Colin Barnett said the tourism benefits to the State from the non-stop flights would be enormous.

“I’m pleased to see Tourism WA and Qantas working together to market the route and showcase internationally great produce from WA,” Barnett said.

“Qantas will serve substantial quantities of West Australian wine and other produce on-board and in their lounges, so visitors will get a taste of what’s on offer before they even land.”

The three-year marketing deal between Qantas and Tourism Western Australia, which was renewed in 2016 already targets New Zealand, USA, Singapore and the rest of Australia.

It includes promotions around major events, destinations and experiences, with a strong focus on digital and social media platforms.

Perth-London flights will operate through Qantas’ existing domestic terminals, which will be upgraded with support from the Western Australian government to accommodate international flights.

The airline’s current international services from Perth (to Singapore and to Auckland) will also move to this terminal, helping to simplify the journey for thousands of people every year.

Seats on the Perth-London flights will go on sale in April 2017 for the first services in March 2018.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners used on the route will carry 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.