Tourism is a roller coaster

IRISH musician and former Boyzone heartthrob Ronan Keating is combining with Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) to help promote the destination to overseas travellers in the United Kingdom & Ireland.

The two crucial markets accounted for 72,000 visitors a year to the region before the pandemic, with TTNQ CEO Mark Olsen stating Keating and his family would be the perfect ambassadors to put North Qld back on the travel map.

“Ronan hosts a popular breakfast show on Magic Radio and British television chat show, The One Show, and has an extensive social media following,” Olsen said, adding the family will be posting online about their North Queensland experiences when they visit the region in Dec.

Included in Keating’s activities will be a stay at a luxury Executive Retreats home in the Port Douglas hinterland, exploring the Great Barrier Reef on an exclusive charter with sailing catamaran Indigo, discovering Kuku Yalanji country with Walkabout Cultural Adventures, as well as playing in the Survivor Golf Grand Finale at the Mirage Country Club.

Pictured: Ronan Keating (centre) & his wife Storm with Ben Sciberras from TaylorMade, Storm’s dad Gordon Uechtritz and Survivor Golf CEO David Cameron.

MEANWHILE the Qld Government has awarded $300,000 in agri-tourism grants to foster the state’s fishing industry.

Funding will go towards propping up Queensland’s Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme, which will improve recreational fishing experiences and support jobs in many ways including boat sales and tourism opportunities.