Tourism needs to be ever-evolving
CELEBRATING WHAT WE HAVE, ENCOURAGING THOSE WHO VISIT TO STAY LONGER AND SPEND MORE, ARE JUST SOME OF THE WAYS ... TO ENSURE OUR ECONOMY PROSPERS
AS THE Cairns Amateurs Festival rolls around again, once more bringing crowds to town and an injection into the local economy, it’s also a reminder of the need for our tourism sector to remain agile.
Tourism plays a vital role in the Tropical North Queensland economy, contributing a sizeable $3 billion.
But as the competition for the tourist dollar heats up both domestically and internationally, continuing to evolve and showcase our world-class offerings will become paramount to the local sector’s future prosperity.
In recent years, we’ve made great gains and seen the tourism sector go from strength to strength.
Numbers from Tourism and Events Queensland reveal impressive growth in international visitors in the past three years, reaching 890,000 to the year ending March 2017, up 7.2 per cent on the previous year and up 8.5 per cent over a three-year period.
While these numbers are encouraging, domestic visitors have declined 6.9 per cent in the past year.
More worryingly, though, is that the overall spend across both domestic and international categories is down 8.4 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively compared to 2016.
The decline in Tropical North Queensland’s share of domestic visitors compared with other Queensland destinations is a subtle but stark reminder of the need to keep an eye on the future.
Significant investment in Tropical North Queensland is required and it’s pleasing to see recent investments such as the GA Group’s new hotels, the proposed dredging of the harbour to enable larger cruise ships and more people into Cairns, the Mt Emerald Wind Farm project and the Cairns Aquarium – all of which demonstrate long-term confidence in the region.
More airlines are also committing to direct flights with the most significant being China Southern, opening our region up to more opportunities in one of the world’s most rapidly growing markets.
Visitor numbers to Tropical North Queensland from China were up by 5.2 per cent, reaching 237,000 to the year ending March 2017.
That market is now our largest, more than double the number of visitors from Japan.
These figures present the true ebb and flow of tourism and show why we can’t be complacent and expect an ongoing influx of tourists and their dollars.
The competition is ruthless – recent travel deals to Europe featured accommodation on the Champs Elysees cheaper than that in Cairns.
Thankfully, we have a competitive and compelling proposition for those looking to visit, filled with natural beauty.
Celebrating what we have, encouraging those who visit to stay longer and spend more, are just some of the ways we can continue to attract tourists and therefore ensure our economy prospers.
Building for the future and investing in infrastructure and services is the long game that TNQ needs play.