around 700,000 viewers.
Further global media exposure is assured following last week’s launch of the National Geographic
channel’s six-part documentary series, which premiered in Australia on 13 May. As a result,
Queensland’s profile is at an all-time high. It is still early days, but we are seeing positive signs out of
key international source markets, even though the international tourism market remains extraordinarily
difficult. Wholesalers in Germany and the UK have reported that Queensland sales are bucking the
trend for bookings generally.
Additionally, visitors from the UK and European youth markets—key target markets for
Queensland—have increased. Backpackers to Queensland increased two per cent to 370,000 during
2009, which was driven by UK and European backpackers, where we saw more significant growth of
six per cent. International visitors to the Whitsundays also increased one per cent last year, while nights
spent there were up five per cent and expenditure was up 16 per cent to $156 million. The Japan market
to the Whitsundays, while still a relatively small market, also grew significantly last year from 6,000 to
9,000 visitors. This bucks an overall declining trend in Japanese visitors to Australia.
This campaign is helping to safeguard the 220,000 jobs that tourism employs in Queensland. It is
part of our plan, as the Treasurer mentioned yesterday, that resulted in 6,500 jobs being created in
Queensland last month. This is what you see when you have a plan and you stick to it through the good
times and the bad, unlike the opposition, who cannot even stick to each other from breakfast time to
lunch time.
