Rising fuel costs, soft visitor numbers and ongoing global uncertainty continue to overshadow our industry as we edge closer to Tropical North Queensland’s peak tourism season and wonder how this much-needed busy time of the year will be impacted.
TTNQ continues to talk to the Federal and State Governments and work in partnership with the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) and Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators (AMPTO) to advocate on the industry’s behalf.
We are in agreeance that fee relief is the priority, with some businesses having seen costs double and facing declining visitor numbers and forward bookings. We are calling on both levels of government to articulate who and how they will support our sector when there are dramatic drops in business. The Federal and the State Governments need to work in partnership, as they have done during past shocks, to help businesses to survive and retain jobs.
With QTIC we are asking for immediate targeted support:
Queensland Government (0-3 months)
- Temporary waiver or deferral of fees, permits and leases
- Targeted payroll tax relief
- Regional fuel support for transport and touring operators
Commonwealth Government
- BAS-linked cashflow support or tax credits
- ATO payment deferrals and concessional finance
- Targeted wage support if conditions worsen
We are also advocating for support to drive demand as we know the best way out of a crisis is to trade our way out. QTIC is also advocating for a joint, time-limited stabilisation package to support business continuity and protect jobs, particularly in regional communities where impacts are being felt most acutely.
QTIC has made the Fuel Intelligence view a publicly up-to-date dashboard of national fuel reserves and a map of service station outages so the industry can quickly understand fuel availability. These show we do not have an issue with fuel supply in our region.
I also encourage you to complete the QTIC fortnightly Queensland Industry Pulse Survey to give immediate feedback to inform QTIC’s conversations with government. These results will be available through the Tourism Intelligence Dashboard so that you can see what other businesses across the State are experiencing.
TTNQ continues to entice visitation through our current active domestic and international campaigns. We are analysing how we can lean in and support the industry to ensure good numbers coming into winter through May and June and will be making an announcement soon around additional activity.
On a brighter note, today is World Earth Day. On 22 April last year TTNQ launched the Lifetime of Greatness last year and this year we are releasing our 2025 Sustainability Report reflecting on our efforts to be a world leader in regenerative tourism and boosting the positive profile that tourism plays in conservation. I encourage you to read it.
Mark Olsen
Chief Executive Officer