Qld $180m Budget boost

THE Queensland Government has allocated a record $180 million in tourism funding in its State Budget, aiming to attract extra air services and introduce new tourism experiences.

The spend includes $48.6 million for the Attracting Tourism Fund and $46 million for the Regional Tourism Infrastructure & Experience Development Program, which includes $10 million for outback projects.

“The time is right for the government, working with industry, to push into new tourism markets and invest in innovative tourism experiences to increase our market share and grow our $25 billion tourism industry,” Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones said yesterday.

“This investment is a game changer for Queensland’s tourism industry,” she said.

Among initiatives are plans to develop ecotourism experiences as part of the regional infrastructure program.

The Government will also allocate funding towards securing additional direct air services to the state, continuing a program that has operated for three years.

“We’ve got the runs on the board – we’ve secured more than two million additional airline seats into Queensland since Feb 2015, injecting an estimated $1.7 billion in additional overnight visitor expenditure into the Qld economy,” Jones said.

The Budget was welcomed by the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF), which said the tourism sector had potential to be the most effective and sustainable way to diversify the Queensland economy beyond resources.

TTF chief executive officer Margy Osmond said the funding provided certainty to the tourism sector when it was needed most.