Students hold key to tourism potential
U N D E R S T A N D I N G w h y international students choose to visit Townsville could lead to the creation of more tourism jobs in the region.
The State Government is partly funding a study by James Cook University to discover why people are choosing to study in Townsville and how that can be used to expand the international industry.
Project leader and James Cook University Pro Vice Chancellor Melissa Banks said the key element for any international visitor to Queensland was the connections they made to people and places
“That may happen in the context of a university degree, a study tour of the Great Barrier Reef, or a conference on indigenous business and economic support initiatives,” she said.
Townsville MP Scott Stewart said the research could lead to more jobs in the sector.
“I n t e r n a - tional education is a rapidly growing sector here in North Queensland,” he said.
“The better we understand this emerging industry, the better position we’ll be in to grow our share of the market and create more international education jobs here in North Queensland.”
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the international education was worth more than $ 4 billion to Queensland and supported about 20,000 jobs across the state.
“We know that if we invest in this sector, these numbers will grow in the future,” Ms Jones said.
“Townsville is one of the most sought after tourism destinations on the planet with some of the state’s leading education providers – it makes sense that more international students want to study in North Queensland.”