What a year! As 2009 is all wrapped up, all signs are pointing towards a positive 2010 for the Queensland tourism industry. I am pleased to say that many tourism operators ended the year on a high with strong holiday bookings and a very positive outlook for the year ahead.
The Global Financial Crisis made 2009 a tough year for the tourism industry and we will remain cautious of its flow on effect, however there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is expected that people around the world will start travelling again and when they do, we want to make sure a Queensland holiday is top of their mind.
A very encouraging sign is the Tourism Forecasting Committee's latest report. It foresees the Queensland's domestic and international tourism industries would improve in 2010. The Committee predicts the number of nights Australians spent in Queensland in 2009 is to jump by 2.2 percent to more than 71 million in 2010, while the number of nights international visitors spend in our state is predicted to increase by
2.5 percent to over 40 million. This is a great indication Tourism Queensland's change in domestic marketing focus towards hard-hitting, tactical campaigns which offered fantastic deals to encourage Australians to book a Queensland holiday is working. I look forward to seeing the results as this tactic continues into 2010.
2009 will be a year to remember. I would like to thank the hard working staff at Tourism Queensland who pulled off one of the world's best marketing campaigns this year putting Queensland in the global spotlight like never before. The Best Job in the World campaign has so far achieved around $400 million in publicity and earnt Island Caretaker Ben Southall, who has done an amazing job selling our great state, a further role as a Queensland Tourism Ambassador.
Tourism is the lifeblood of Queensland indirectly supporting 222,000 jobs and contributing $9.2 billion to the economy making it a number one priority for the Bligh Government. That's why we committed an extra $12 million a year over the next three years supporting the tourism industry.
These figures is our most positive indicator yet that we may be through the worst. I will continue to work my hardest to support the Queensland tourism industry through 2010 and look forward to the challenges it brings.
