The Cairns Holiday Dollars campaign has turned the spotlight on Cairns & Great Barrier Reef with almost 100,000 people registering in just 48 hours and more than $4.6 million in publicity generated for the destination.
The Queensland Government and Tourism Tropical North Queensland are giving Queenslanders access to 15,000 travel vouchers worth $200 each to spend on tours and attractions in our region.
The majority of the Cairns Holiday Dollar registrations have been from the southeast corner so that will have a direct impact on accommodation, restaurants and cafes, as well as the experiences.
The forward bookings for Easter are strong, as are the June/July School holidays and we trust the lure of Cairns Holiday Dollars will help fill that gap in between.
Another great initiative is the $1 million Great Barrier Reef Education Experiences program offering up to $150 per student to get Queensland students out on the Great Barrier Reef. Every student that visits our reef will become an ambassador for the reef and our region.
Equally important, the region has been the talk of the nation yet again, with another spike in Google travel trends as Australians look for their international holiday experience in Australia.
Cairns Holiday Dollars present an extraordinary opportunity for our destination to showcase some of the lesser known experiences that may encourage visitors to extend their holiday to try a few new products. Operators are strongly encouraged to get their products and experiences into the program by registering through the TTNQ corporate website, and telling your customers to register for Cairns Holiday Dollars.
When people discover whether they are one of the 15,000 lucky Queenslanders to receive a $200 voucher on March 15 we need to have our destination’s amazing experiences loaded on ATDW ready for them to start planning their holiday.
The vouchers allow a 50% discount up to the value of $200 on tours and attractions and must be spent on the one transaction. Products worth $400 or more will maximise the value of the voucher for its holder so it is strongly recommended to put together packages that do this.
For example, create a deal for two adults or a family price as a package, combine your experience with that of another operator to give visitors multiple day packages, or perhaps add extras such as a guided snorkelling tour to create a package.
We have had a great response with more than 300 operators registering to attend the webinar on how to get involved on Monday. You can watch it here if you missed it.
For more information visit our Cairns Holiday Dollars page.
Cheers
Mark Olsen
Chief Executive Officer