CEO & Board Updates

Congratulations to the winners and finalists at the Queensland Tourism Awards in Brisbane last week. It was inspiring to see 21 Tropical North Queensland products had made the enormous effort to enter the awards during one of the most challenging years our industry has faced.

The Premier’s announcement of 17 December as the date for the reopening of Queensland’s borders is welcome news. It will give confidence to consumers and a compelling reason for the community to be vaccinated.

Will a Tropical North Queensland tourism operator win the RACQ People’s Choice Awards in the Queensland Tourism Awards this year? I hope so and we can help by voting for them.

TTNQ is urging the State and Federal Governments to work together on wage support assistance similar to the JobSaver program offered by the New South Wales Government in conjunction with the Commonwealth.

TTNQ recognises the impact that school holiday lockdowns have caused Cairns & Great Barrier Reef tourism operators with losses of $3-5 million a day in the region.

Domestic interest in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef has never been stronger as we enter the traditional peak season for welcoming our southern friends escaping their cold winter.

The Federal Government’s additional $7.7 million in targeted support to promote Cairns & Great Barrier Reef as a year-round destination to domestic visitors will significantly increase the domestic marketing power of our destination.

Domestic demand for Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is at an all-time high with more than 60,000 people expected through Cairns Airport this week after a very successful Easter brought 21,000 arrivals our way.

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.

Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan has assured the Tropical North Queensland business community that the Government would offer targeted support for those who need it beyond March.

2021 presents our region with both challenges and opportunities. Our primary international markets will hopefully be returning to the region, and we have a real opportunity to increase our share of Australians travelling at home in 2021.

The Cairns & Great Barrier Reef tourism industry has 125 million reasons to be happy with the confirmation that visitors from Greater Sydney and Victoria will be able to travel from 1 December.

Summer is upon us and with it comes regular quenching rainfall, sweet tropical produce, crystal clear waters on the reef and the Cairns & Great Barrier Reef “Summer Great. Leave Greater.” campaign, which launched on Sunday 25 October.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) has secured a $16.5 million five-year funding agreement with Cairns Regional Council.

Cairns & Great Barrier Reef will be in the spotlight next week with Queensland’s Cabinet, the State’s tourism leaders and the Today Show’s weather team all in region.

With travel restrictions lifting, except from Victoria, TTNQ is ramping up its domestic marketing activities in Queensland and interstate. We are working in close cooperation with the airlines, Tourism and Events Queensland and our retail partners to align our marketing efforts.

During the COVID-19 lock-down in April and May TTNQ’s marketing and digital activity reached more than 2 million Australians generating an advertising value equivalent of $4.3 million with a limited marketing spend.

What do you love about our region that you are looking forward to sharing with your mates when travel restrictions ease?

The Prime Minister’s announcement of the JobKeeper payment could be a lifeline for tourism businesses needing to retain staff while they are not able to trade. TTNQ and our members have lobbied for a wage subsidy as a priority for the tourism sector and I encourage you to investigate whether it will assist your business.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland is taking action to ensure your business is supported through these unprecedented times. We are lobbying for business support funding to be made available for our region, while still pushing on with our local and drive campaigns with television and digital advertising targeting the regional Queensland drive market.