Tropical North Queensland operators reported positive feedback from the Australian Tourism Exchange in Adelaide last week with more than 50 people joining the TTNQ team to sell the destination.
TTNQ’s Kath Cutler, Sam Sakamoto and Harriet Ganfield completed 188 scheduled appointments with trade partners from all over the world in addition to the meetings that Lani Cooper and I had with Tourism Australia, Tourism and Events Queensland, aviation partners and global trade partners like Expedia Group. The feedback from each of our key markets was varied, but there were still many promising opportunities.
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is the leading region for Japanese trade partners selling Australia with forward bookings for May, June and July strong. TTNQ members organised a Japan dinner with most of the buyers attending the event.
Our destination strategy of one more night in Cairns is gradually gaining traction with Indian travel agents who are looking forward to the Singapore Airlines flights to Cairns moving to daily so that schedules can become more flexible. However, the limited number of Indian restaurants in our region remains a challenge for that market.
Visitation from Singapore is more positive with a focus from younger travellers who love nature and adventure. However, our destination needs to continue efforts to increase awareness among other South East Asian countries.
There has been a significant short-term reduction of airline connectivity between Australia and China, but the trade is confident that flights will be boosted in July ahead of the peak season. Cairns remains challenging with domestic flights.
Members are encouraged to include experiences in their packaging as these outperform accommodation packages with Chinese consumers wanting a value-add in their package. There is a lot of interest in themes such as sports tourism, soft adventure activities, silver travellers, and student groups, and we are working with our trade partners on trying to increase visitation to our destination outside Chinese New Year.
The luxury market continues to perform strongly from North America supported by the growing conversion through the Luxury Lodges – Mini Australia concept showcasing the Reef, Rainforest and Outback experiences in Tropical North Queensland. Our region received the most direct requests through TEQ for pre- and post-famil programs which TTNQ supported with the Federal Reef funding.
Fiji Airways is gaining positive traction within the trade market following the successful celebration of its one-year anniversary servicing the region. North American trade partners are also reporting some of the shortest booking windows, with several operators advising booking lead times of as little as three months. Group touring operators are adapting itineraries to cater for younger travellers seeking smaller group sizes and longer regional stays.
Lead generation for the luxury market also remains strong in the UK and Europe, while the middle market and family segments are cautious with the Middle East instability and increased aviation costs. The booking changes experienced by trade partners a month ago has stabilised as have travel booking times which have returned to the traditional 9–12-month window.
Singapore Airlines continues to strengthen direct access into Cairns, with trade partners increasingly positioning Cairns as a preferred gateway to Australia. Tropical North Queensland remains well positioned for pre- and post-touring experiences, particularly for nature-based and World Heritage offerings. Strong international awareness about Australia is being driven by upcoming events including the Eclipse 2028, Ruby World Cup 2027 and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The introduction of the direct Jetstar Christchurch to Cairns service has significantly increased awareness of the region in New Zealand at a time when competing destinations are perceived as more expensive and less accessible. Wholesalers are reporting continued growth for Tropical North Queensland, including increases of 34% in sales and 17.4% in room nights following two years of targeted campaigns and in-market activity. Package itineraries with value deals are still receiving highest traction particularly for Port Douglas.
Mark Olsen
Chief Executive Officer