CEO & Board Updates
The CEO and Board provide regular updates to members and stakeholders on TTNQ’s activities and the state of the industry. These are included in TTNQ’s member newsletters.
July 2022 CEO Update
Tropical North Queensland has a starring role in a new South Korean reality television series and Irish star Ronan Keating will be bringing his family to Port Douglas to showcase the destination through his social media channels as part of our international marketing.
29 June 2022 CEO Update
Strong spending by visitors has brought a record $3 billion tourism expenditure boost to the Tropical North Queensland economy.
June 2022 CEO Update
Cairns has earned the reputation as the best place in the world for wildlife viewing and the third best for diving and snorkelling, according to the latest Destination Think! Tourism Sentiment Index.
May 2022 CEO Update
The TTNQ sales and marketing team and more than 70 member products flew the flag for Cairns & Great Barrier Reef at the Australian Tourism Exchange in Sydney this week.
April 2022 CEO Update
Easter was busy across the region with 94,000 passengers passing through Cairns Airport last week and 77,000 during the first week of the Queensland school holidays. Cairns has not seen this domestic air capacity since 2018.
March 2022 CEO Update
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has given high praise to TTNQ when outlining why our destination marketing organisation has received one-quarter of the $60 million Federal funding allocated to international tourism recovery.
February 2022 CEO Update
There was a collective sigh of relief when Australia’s international borders opened on Monday allowing the tourism industry to plan ahead with the certainty we have been craving over the past two years.
January 2022 CEO Update
International education and working holiday makers are back and leisure travel is looking tantalising close as the tourism industry waits for the Federal Government to expand the number of visa categories allowed to enter Australia.
December 2021 CEO Update
Queensland’s barriers have finally lifted for domestic travel and international visitation is just around the corner as our industry nervously waits to gauge the consumer confidence in travel for early 2022.
November 2021 CEO Update
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.
October 2021 CEO Update
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.
September 2021 CEO Update
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.
August 2021 CEO Update
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.
July 2021 CEO Update
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.
June 2021 CEO Update
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.
May 2021 CEO Update
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.
April 2021 CEO Update
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.
March 2021 CEO Update
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.
February 2021 CEO Update
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.
December 2020 CEO Update
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.
November 2020 CEO Update
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.
October 2020 CEO Update
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.
September 2020 CEO Update
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) has secured a $16.5 million five-year funding agreement with Cairns Regional Council.
August 2020 CEO Update
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.
#ExploreTNQ
POV: walking through the rainforest canopy at @mamutropicalskywalk 🌴
📸 @_clare.louise_ #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia

Winter in the outback? Now that’s what we call heaven ☀️ If you’re visiting @cobboldgorge, don’t forget to book a boat or SUP tour 🛶 There’s no better way to get up close & personal...
![Winter in the outback? Now that’s what we call heaven ☀️ If you’re visiting @cobboldgorge, don’t forget to book a boat or SUP tour 🛶 There’s no better way to get up close & personal with the beauty of the gorge ✨ Beneath your board, native fish dart through the waters & beside you, the sandstone walls soar 19 metres high! 🐠⛰
📸 @hjones0710 #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia
[ID: People in a small boat travelling through Cobbold Gorge. The water is green and blue in colour and surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs]](https://tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
PSA excessive caffeine was consumed in the making of this video ☕️ Before the Monday morning blues hit, pick your perfect coffee stop in Cairns 😌
📍 @wharfonecairns
📍 ...

Remember when we told you about picnics on a luxurious sand cay? 🍓🥂 This is what it looks like (from the air at least) 🚁
📸 @mariadrig #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR ...
![Remember when we told you about picnics on a luxurious sand cay? 🍓🥂 This is what it looks like (from the air at least) 🚁
📸 @mariadrig #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia
[ID: aerial of helicopter on sand cay, surrounded by bright blue water and reef]](https://tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
Stay palm and visit @thalabeach 🌴🥥 Here you'll kick back in private bungalows nestled amongst the rainforest, with unparalleled views over the coral sea all the way to the islands of ...

Holy shark…whale shark that is! 🦈
This guy came to visit the @greatadventurescruises semi-sub recently and really livened up these lucky guests’ reef trip 🤿🐠
Have you ...

C’mon give us a smooch 💋
The team at @descentproductions came face to snorkel with this 240lb potato cod at the famous Cod Hole off the coast of @tropicalnorthqueensland 🤿🐠
...

Just a couple of Papuan Frogmouths caught by the paps 🎥 Much like our fan favourites the Tawny Frogmouth, these guys aren't actually owls at all 🦉 They are part of the Nocturnal Nightjar ...
![Just a couple of Papuan Frogmouths caught by the paps 🎥 Much like our fan favourites the Tawny Frogmouth, these guys aren't actually owls at all 🦉 They are part of the Nocturnal Nightjar family, and are the largest of the Frogmouths in length 🌴🪶 Although the Papuan Frogmouth is common, they’re masters of disguise, meaning they can be hard to spot to even by the sharpest pair of eyes 👀
📸 @matti_rambo_shoots #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia
[ID: close up of two Papuan Frogmouth birds (similar in appearance to owls) sitting on a branch staring at the camera]](https://tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
t's not hard to see why Mena Creek Falls has been enchanting visitors to @paronellapark forever 🏰🍃 Have you been here before?
📸 @_rochelleryan_ #explorecairnsGBR #exploreTNQ ...
![t's not hard to see why Mena Creek Falls has been enchanting visitors to @paronellapark forever 🏰🍃 Have you been here before?
📸 @_rochelleryan_ #explorecairnsGBR #exploreTNQ #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia
[ID: aerial of person standing on the bridge at Mena Creek Falls, surrounded by lush greenery]](https://tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
Just some humpbacks putting on a whaley great show just off the @cassowarycoastaustralia 🐋🤩
📸 @troybe_spearfishing #exploreTNQ #explorecairnsGBR #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia
