$10M DRIVE FOR FUNDS
Convoy urges Brisbane to give FNQ tourism cash or back a levy
TOURISM is looming as a major Far Northern state election issue with next month’s Cairns Convoy to Capital Q calling for $10 million in extra funding to promote the region.
A 50-member delegation led by Advance Cairns, Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) and the Cairns Chamber of Commerce will today reon veal key recommendations for the State Government to either provide an additional $10 million a year in base funding for TTNQ or support a tourism levy.
Advance Cairns CEO Nick Trompf said a 2.5 per cent levy all overnight visitors staying in the city’s accommodaton businesses could bring in between $16-22 million a year in destination marketing funds.
Momentum is gathering for a tourism levy which Mayor Bob Manning has long promoted.
The tourism call will be part of a $1 billion wishlist revealed at the Convoy to Capital Q’s launch this morning.
FILLING up Tropical North Queensland’s destination marketing coffers has emerged as one of the most pressing issues to be brought before State Government leaders in Brisbane as part of next month’s Cairns Convoy to Capital Q.
The major delegation, led by Advance Cairns, Tourism Tropical North Queensland and the Cairns Chamber of Commerce, will today launch its bid for $1 billion in State Government investment in the region at Crystalbrook Collection’s Riley hotel.
The project is modelled on the successful Convoy to Canberra in October 2018, which attracted unprecedented funding for the Far North.
Advance Cairns chief executive Nick Trompf revealed the push to get $10 million in additional cash for TTNQ to promote the region to domestic and international tourists via either an increase in base funding from the Queensland Government, or by imposing a 2.5 per cent levy on all overnight visitors staying in the city’s accommodation businesses.
He estimated the levy option could bring in between $16 million and $22 million per year in destination marketing funds and threw his unequivocal support behind the same idea touted by Cairns Mayor Bob Manning last year.
“In light of the recent events impacting on the region, including coronavirus, this takes on immense importance and is rapidly becoming one of the most important requests in the Brisbane convoy wishlist,” Mr Trompf said.
“What we hope to do is further strengthen the region’s efforts to solve its material shortfall in destination marketing funds so we can compete with the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast in a seriously competitive market. Our budget is simply inadequate.”
Mr Trompf said the regions, including TNQ, had discussed a levy several times in the past and described it as a “vexed issue” in explaining why nothing had yet been set in place.
“The Gold Coast’s approach is not the same as what’s proposed for Cairns,” he said. “The Gold Coast has a direct levy on businesses, not on visitors. It’s a different model administered by local government.
“It’s a vexed issue and there are challenges. If it wasn’t, it would have been done already, but now it’s getting considerable momentum.
“The Mayor has been advocating for this for some time and we’ve always been supportive of a levy and support his position on this. The convoy gives us a high-profile chance to build on this and on the advocacy work he has already done.”
Twenty requests for infrastructure funding and 16 policy items will be taken to MPs and bureaucrats between February 18 and 20.
The 50 member-strong convoy includes a significant tourism industry representation led by TTNQ CEO Mark Olsen, Cairns Airport CEO Norris Carter, Down Under Tours Australia and AAT Kings general manager James Dixon and Experience Co CEO John O’Sullivan.