WELCOME TOURISM BOOST FOR QUEENSLAND AND THE TROPICAL NORTH
Posted by editor (editor) on Jul 22 2010
2010 >>

The Bligh Government has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement to inject $30 million to market Australia to the Chinese travel market and hold a forum on the issue in Cairns.

Minister for Tourism Peter Lawlor said today’s announcement would have a significant impact on tourism in Queensland and the Tropical North which is still suffering the hangover affects of the Global Financial Crisis.

“China is the key growth market for Queensland and the Tropical North and this is a welcome boost for the industry,” Minister Lawlor said.

“In the year ending March 2010 153,000 Chinese visitors came to Queensland spending $326 million which was up $87 million (36%) on the year before.

“The recent announcement by China Southern airlines that it will fly direct from Guangzhou to Queensland from the end of this year, will hopefully help grow these figures even more.
 
“The first Chinese passengers to fly direct to Queensland since 1997 will open the doors to a potential extra 3600 Chinese travellers a month.

“I am so pleased the Federal Government has committed this funding to the Chinese market.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Member for Barron River Steve Wettenhall also welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement, particularly the decision to hold a high level forum on the topic in Cairns.

“They couldn’t have picked a better location than Cairns for this forum and I hope to be actively involved in the discussions," he said. 

“Since the gradual decline of Japanese tourists to the Tropical North, Tourism Queensland reassessed its marketing strategy for the Tropical North and since then has been aggressively targeting the Chinese market,” he said.

“It’s great to see both levels of Government are on the same page when it comes to marketing the Tropical North.

“In the year ending March 2010, Chinese visitors to the Tropical North increased 47 percent to 47,000 and the number of nights they spent in the region was up 35 percent to 127,000.”

The Australia Government’s tourism investment in China will include:

• Working with major airline partners including China Eastern, Air China, Qantas and China Southern Airlines to build frequency, capacity and dispersal of direct air services throughout Australia. The recent strategic partnership announced by Tourism Australia and China Southern is an example of the kind of relationship which will deliver both marketing and capacity benefits for Australia.
• The launch of Tourism Australia There’s Nothing Like Australia campaign in China in early August. This will include print and broadcast advertising in major national and regional media in addition to a digital campaign inviting potential Chinese travellers to vote online for the best Aussie experiences suggested by 3,500 Australian entries.
• Strengthening partnerships with the travel agents who sell Australian holidays in China through Tourism Australia’s Aussie Specialist travel agent program, which currently has nearly 3000 members in China.
• Streamlining and enhancing the China Approved Destination Status (ADS) Scheme Code of Business Standards and Ethics to monitor the ADS-approved operators and the quality of services provided to Chinese tourists visiting Australia under the scheme.

Last changed: Jul 22 2010 at 11:06 AM