CEO & Board Updates

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.

Tourism has never faced a tougher time in the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region, but it is gratifying that the industry has come together in recent weeks to lobby our politicians for assistance, which has resulted in some positive outcomes.

Today I am joining tourism industry representatives to meet with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones in Brisbane to discuss the outlook for the region in the wake of the coronavirus and southern bushfires and how we can move forward.

Conscious of the impact of the bushfires both on our southern State counterparts and on our local operators, TTNQ’s marketing efforts have been delayed by a few weeks to ensure we are striking a balance in the market.

A new decade is just around the corner and with it a fresh, new brand platform to help Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) members throughout the region promote Cairns & Great Barrier Reef. The aim is to inspire travellers who want to see the world differently and know that they have made a difference by choosing to visit our region.

Congratulations to the TTNQ members who won gold and bronze at the 2019 Queensland Tourism Awards and well done to those who attended the event to fly the flag for Tropical North Queensland.

The welcoming nature of residents in Tropical North Queensland has been confirmed in a new study examining the social impact of tourism on the local community.

Since the early 1990s it has been my dream to be back in the tourism industry in Tropical North Queensland and here I am.

As I enter my last days as CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, I want to say thank you to our members. The tourism industry in this region is a resilient and important industry. It is diverse and supported by entrepreneurial people whom I have enjoyed sharing part of the stage with for the past two years.

TTNQ is undertaking its largest ever domestic marketing campaign after receiving matched funding from the State Government and Cairns Regional Council for a $2.8 million campaign.

Brag-worthy selfie opportunities, a treasure trail and ranger talks are part of an initiative to help Chinese visitors appreciate the history and environment of Green Island, off Cairns.

Innovation is the key to success in the rapidly evolving Chinese travel market and this means working with dynamic trade partners who are abreast of the changes driving consumer choice.

Many businesses have been doing it tough after an extended wet season prompting them to ask what TTNQ is doing to assist in this downturn. Questions about Great Barrier Reef messaging are also being asked.

Virgin’s announcement that two of its return flights per week would be downsized will have minimal impact on the region as the 300 lost seats equate to about 0.3% of the total Cairns domestic capacity.

We recognise that the region has been challenged over the summer period, and over the past few weeks public attention has been drawn to the importance of tourism.

As the year draws to a close we take time to reflect on our achievements and realise that so many of them have resulted from strong partnerships.

The value of tourism in Tropical North Queensland is firmly cemented in the minds of the nation’s most influential politicians after intensive lobbying as part of the Cairns Convoy to Canberra last week.

Feedback from China indicates that the number of independent visitors will continue to grow from this source market bringing a new, savvy traveller who wants to do more than tick off the reef, rainforest and Indigenous culture with half day trips.