Focus on domestic travellers

NOW is the time for the FNQ tourism industry to adjust and adapt in light of the effects of the coronavirus by targeting the Australian market.

Already Cairns Aquarium is seeing the results of its hard work in reaching out to the North American, European and Japanese markets, with recent bookings picking up from international visitors.

“We’ve actually been seeing some brand new bookings from February onwards, which has increased those market areas for us,” Cairns Aquarium chief executive and founder Daniel Leipnik said.

“Something that we are doing and something the industry will be doing, and what it should be doing, is we need to be marketing to Australians.

“This region has lost a lot of business to other destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, Bali and Fiji.

“Over the past few years there have been a lot of special airfares.

“I think this is our chance to regain hundreds of thousands of those Australian tourists that will now be able to travel in Australia and as we know there is a Queensland Government campaign to holiday at home and I think we will see a lot more of that.”

Mr Leipnik said huge amounts of work went into drawing visitors to the region.

“There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes,” he said. “We are not the only ones who do it, there are many other key leading organisations in the region and we band together and attend these government-led trade missions. We are out there promoting the destination.”