The Tropical North Queensland tourism industry’s commitment to excellence was recognised on Friday night with 23 Queensland Tourism Awards including nine gold awards for our destination’s innovation, resilience and customer service.
That commitment is once again on show as Cairns welcomes Amway Korea to the region this week. The Amway Korea Leadership Seminar has 2800 delegates arriving in five waves on 20 charter flights from November 17 to December 7, bringing a $13 million boost to the region’s economy. Supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia and Cairns Airport, the lucrative international business event is continuously bringing groups of around 450 to 500 delegates on four-night itineraries across 22 days.
This incentive rewarding Amway’s top performers from South Korea has been a huge logistical exercise to ensure delegates are wowed by, what will be for many, their first taste of Australia. Back-to-back charter flights with Korean Air and Asiana Airlines will bring the delegates to Cairns with the groups taking over Shangri-La, The Marina Cairns for more than three weeks. Additional staff had been added to the hotel’s team to smoothly manage the event’s 5536 room nights which includes three-hour turnarounds of the rooms, 900 breakfasts and lunch for 450 on the days when one wave departs and the next arrives.
Up to 14 Tropic Wings coaches and five limousines a day will transfer groups to tours, events and their business program at the Cairns Convention Centre. Each group will enjoy two full days of touring taking in the Atherton Tablelands, Kuranda, the Daintree, Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef enjoying wildlife experiences and nature, as well as golf and shopping.
Fogarty Park will be transformed into a picnic-style festival for the afternoon of arrival so delegates can relax on deck chairs, listen to music, enjoy customised mocktails and local gelato. They will meet local animals including a koala, python, crocodile and lizard and join Indigenous workshops to learn how to paint and throw a boomerang, make jewellery and watch a didgeridoo demonstration.
Hemingway’s Brewery will host the welcome reception dinner with a band and fireworks, and the Cairns Convention Centre is the venue for the final night’s gala dinner with a stunning rainforest-themed entrance to the event, a band, dancers and aerialists.
Last week the Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef team hosted their first in region trade program for conference organisers since before the pandemic. Connect in Cairns and the touring extension, Delve into Port Douglas, hosted 24 event organisers, three media and Tourism and Events Queensland for a four-night program including business-to-business meetings with 27 TTNQ members and visits to nine properties, three offsite venues and an additional 14 experiences and services.
Mark Olsen
Chief Executive Officer