With little more than five weeks until we head to the State Government polls, Tourism Tropical North Queensland is asking all candidates to support the recovery of Tropical North Queensland to ensure Queensland is a powerhouse for Australian tourism growth over the next four years.
The TTNQ Board is seeking an investment of $10 million over the next four years from the State Government for our region to drive destination marketing internationally and domestically for Queensland through Tropical North Queensland and across the Great Barrier Reef.
The Federal Government investment in domestic destination marketing during the pandemic delivered a 30:1 return on investment and to date their $15 million investment in our international recovery is delivering a 47:1 return from the 52 campaigns already completed and is forecast to drive in excess of $100 million in spend from key international markets.
TTNQ used the domestic recovery funding wisely to deliver record visitor numbers and spending levels while growing our market share to support job growth in our local economy. With one year remaining of international recovery funding we are on the way to repeating that success but there is still so much to do. Retaining market share, driving demand on new routes, and growing new markets to support the State’s investment with the Cairns Airport in aviation capacity will require ongoing investment.
Strategic aviation investment supported by well-planned campaign activity for direct routes has positioned Cairns as the northern gateway to Australia for international visitors. Cathay Pacific is returning in December, we have new flights to New Zealand, AirAsia is arriving from Southeast Asia, and China Eastern is returning for seasonal services in 2025.
We need to keep the momentum going and continue to drive positive messages for the Great Barrier Reef and the region. Destination marketing is all about ensuring those international seats are full and giving airlines the demand to increase services.
If Tropical North Queensland’s international numbers return to 2019 levels, Queensland would be back to 84% of 2019 holiday nights instead of the 64% of 2019 holiday visitor nights currently. International visitors to Tropical North Queensland disperse. This year more than 84% of international visitors arriving in Cairns visited multiple regions in our State. That makes our region a great partner for other Queensland destinations.
Tropical North Queensland is Australia’s most international tourism region and in 2019 generated more than $1.4 billion in tax revenue when international visitor nights made up 38% of total visitor nights. This is the highest percentage of any region in Australia.
Global headwinds and the delayed return of aviation capacity has slowed international recovery to just 54%. With aviation capacity returning in late 2024 and early 2025 we will have just six months of international marketing funding remaining. Destination marketing funding is necessary to ensure these flights remain viable.
A $10 million investment would deliver an estimated $300 million in direct sales supporting around 2185 jobs directly. Importantly, it would help drive growth for Queensland. Over four years it could deliver 500,000 international visitors spending more than $735 million for Queensland to generate more than $350 million in tax revenue.
State Government investment is necessary for our industry’s future and the TTNQ Board encourages our members to take this investment opportunity directly to their local candidates to ensure they understand the benefit, not just for our local industry, but for the whole State.
Boosting the visitor economy brings in valuable export dollars for Queensland helping to create jobs and secure the future, not only for our local tourism businesses, but for the many businesses where we spend our tourism dollars. Investing in tourism benefits the broader economy locally and throughout our great State.
Cheers,
Mark Olsen
Chief Executive Officer