As this tumultuous year comes to an end, it is time to reflect on the great progress we have made as a collective towards our ambitious goal of reaching $5 billion of visitor spend.
With the support of the Federal Government’s International Tourism Recovery Program of $15 million over two years, the team with the help of our members have secured an extra 105,000 international visitors to our region, who will spend $122 million.
Many of these additional visitors have already arrived through the great partnership we have with the Cairns Airport bringing new international services to the destination. The year is ending on a high note as we welcome the return of Cathay Pacific next Tuesday with flights continuing through to the Chinese New Year period. Delivering almost 27,000 seats until 29 March, this service is a vital first step in reestablishing our destination’s long-running partnership.
This week is the anniversary of Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the flooding that impacted to so many businesses in our region, with some still impacted. Recovery campaigns have lifted domestic visitor sales in what has been a challenging year in the domestic market. TTNQ’s focus has been on holding our domestic market share and driving our international recovery.
Our traditional long-haul markets have been performing well, and while the official data shows only a 10% recovery for the China market, a survey of local operators paints a more optimistic picture, suggesting a true recovery rate of 20%. Additionally, global campaign partner and online travel agent giant Trip.com reported a 41% increase in room nights compared to 2019, indicating longer stays and a rise in the emerging free and independent traveller market from China.
With the Chinese New Year holiday season just two months away, we continue to work closely with our industry, trade, and airline partners to attract more visitors to the region. The next International Visitor Survey data sets will be released on 18 December, and we are eagerly awaiting these.
The increased international capacity this year with the arrival of Singapore Airline’s wide-bodied jets in June is still a talking point when we attend international trade shows. There is very strong support for this service which we hope to grow to daily flights as our recent TTNQ UK and Europe Roadshow found.
It was pleasing to learn that our destination is a top choice for first-time UK travellers to Australia as they prioritise appealing climates, value for money and natural beauty – exactly what Cairns & Great Barrier Reef offers. Team TTNQ updated the trade who are capitalising on these insights with tailored itineraries and promotional materials to meet expectations.
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef continues to be top of mind in our Japanese market which I visited a fortnight ago to meet with our key trade partners who were treated to a showcase of 100 of our hero experiences.
Air Asia’s new route from Bali is allowing us to tap into new markets in Asia and provides an attractive connection from Europe particularly for the youth market.
Next year we look forward to Fiji Airways slashing flight times from the US when its route begins in April adding 53,000 seats a year. Jetstar’s new service between Christchurch and Cairns also begins in April bringing an additional 72,000 seats a year.
The next six months are the last for our $15 million Federal funding under the International Tourism Recovery Program administered by Austrade and will set our destination up for strong international growth. It is critical that TTNQ secures sustainable destination marketing funding to support increased aviation access beyond that period. We will continue to lobby the Federal Government to extend the funding in the lead up to the 2025 Federal election.