Tourism slip won’t last

CHINESE tourist numbers to Tropical North Queensland may be down but work by tourism authorities is set to ensure the statistical blip is temporary.

The latest Tourism and Events Queensland international tourism snapshot showed, while international visitation to the region grew by 4.5 per cent to 898,000 in the year ending June 2017, Chinese visitors were down 1.2 per cent compared to the same period last year.

But Cairns Airport aviation chief commercial officer Paul McLean said the airport’s strategy to secure more direct services from China was paying off with China Eastern Airlines planning to return to Cairns with a seasonal service from Shanghai for the 2018 Chinese New Year.

The airline plans to operate three services per week during February, subject to regulatory approval.

“The flights are on sale for passengers from Shanghai and other cities in China,” Mr McLean said. “We will share further details with the region’s tourism industry once they are available.”

“Passengers coming to Cairns on these flights, and the other recently announced services from mainland China, will be a boost to our region’s already busy Chinese New Year period.”

The holiday market was the main driver behind overall international visitor growth to the Far North which grew by 4.7 per cent to reach a record high of 837,000 visitors.

“Tropical North Queensland is the state’s second most popular holiday destination for international visitors,” the report said.

“Visitation grew from USA, Japan and Germany while UK visitation softened. Visitor nights grew by 3.5 per cent while visitor expenditure remained unchanged.”