IN A move he labels a potential saviour of local tourism, Hervey Bay Airport Cafe owner Len Norton has called on businesses to back a new venture that would bring at least an extra 180 passengers to the region each weekend.

Mr Norton depends on airport traffic for his business to survive.

A drop of more than 1000 passengers a week has led him to develop a charter flight package to and from Melbourne to bring those numbers back to Hervey Bay.

He is now calling on local businesses to get behind the venture and offer discounts to attract customers.

"I need Hervey Bay to back me and provide some fantastic deals so I can offer them in a package," he said.

"This town needs tourism."

Mr Norton said the package, which he hopes will have up to three flights each week, would help tourism operators such as hotels, restaurants and whale-watch operators that have suffered over the past year.

To make the charter idea viable there would be a need to back-fill the flights.

This would provide Fraser Coast residents with the chance to go direct to Melbourne for three days.

Charter flights would also provide a chance for Fraser Coast residents to travel to Melbourne for a three-day break.

Figures released last week show there are now 6% more accommodation providers on the Fraser Coast than there were 12 months ago.

Tourism Queensland blamed the drop on a weak domestic holiday market.

Mr Norton however, believes the lack of direct flights has made potential customers turn to the Gold Coast for a whale-watching experience, rather than heading to Hervey Bay.

"It's too hard to get here," he said.

There are now only four flights a day to provide customers for Mr Norton's cafe, which operates from 5am-6pm each day.

Flights are still another six months away, but Mr Norton has called on businesses to contact him now to form an affordable travel package.

Operators with a more unique experience have been especially encouraged to join the package.

"There are things happening here that I don't even know about," Mr Norton said.

You can email lennorton@bigpond.com to register your interest in the project.