Tourism Tropical North Queensland

TTNQ’s European representative Annette Kalthoff attended the Best of Travel Group training in Frankfurt to provide updates to 114 travel agents on the Great Tropical Drive and Savannah Way. TTNQ’s joint campaign activity with the Group and Tourism and Events Queensland promotes the two self-drive routes. Participants came from 10 offices across Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland.

Hong Kong’s home carrier Cathay Pacific has made its highly anticipated return to Cairns, a critical first step in rebuilding the region’s valued partnership with the premier airline. Cathay Pacific will operate three flights per week from Cairns Airport until 29 March 2025, a peak period encompassing both the Christmas and Chinese New Year festive holidays, delivering 27,000 seats. The first service touched down early at 10am today before returning to Hong Kong at midday. Passengers received gifts at Cairns Airport and departing travellers were treated to a traditional Chinese lion dance as part of the celebrations.

TTNQ hosted 11 Tobu Top Tours corporate sales staff from offices across Japan in region last week. The famil coincided with our joint campaign activity targeting corporate, MICE and education groups on Jetstar’s Narita and Tokyo routes which runs to May 2025. Members attended a workshop and networking dinner before the famil got underway taking in site inspections, the Great Barrier Reef, rainforest and the Atherton Tablelands including talking to the GBR Biology team on Reef Magic.

TTNQ’s Katherine Cutler accompanied 17 members on the TTNQ UK and Europe Roadshow to Cardiff, Amsterdam and Munich to meet with 92 agents from these key regions. Dale Mundraby from Mandingalbay Ancient Indigenous Tours Authentic Indigenous Tours did an Acknowledgement to Country at each event before a TTNQ update and B2B sessions. The agents had the opportunity to win five prizes including a five-night trip for two to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef including flights, accommodation and tours worth $10,000. Special guests included Stefanie Huebner and Ella Grigorovic from TEQ and Elmer from Singapore Airlines.

Visitors to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan will learn about the Great Barrier Reef with the reopening of the upgraded exhibit last month. TTNQ CEO Mark Olsen and Sales and Marketing Manager Sam Sakamoto joined Kaiyukan for the opening celebration where they received a generous $103,000 donation for Great Barrier Reef Legacy from Kaiyukan and 356 Japanese people. President Hamamoto and Director Murakami shared stories about how the Kaiyukan staff worked tirelessly to make the three-level Great Barrier Reef tank as authentic as possible. TTNQ hopes visitors to Kaiyukan will be inspired to holiday on the Great Barrier Reef.

Tara Bennett and Natalie Johnson represented Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef along with the Cairns Convention Centre, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas and Pullman Cairns International at PCOA24, the association for event management professionals in Brisbane. They gained valuable insights into current trends while networking with industry leaders, including many who have been hosted in the region this year. #PCOA24

Assistant Tourism Minister Bree James, Cairns Mayor Amy Eden and Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen announce that Cairns will host the 2025 Amway Korea incentive. TTNQ has beaten destinations around Australia to secure the international business event which will inject $11.68 million into the Cairns regional economy with around 2700 delegates arriving from across the Asia-Pacific region in six waves from November 17 to December 9. This event is an incentive rewarding Amway’s top performers with each wave of delegates doing three full days of touring and at least two offsite events as well as opportunities to explore Cairns at leisure. Tourism Australia Tourism and Events Queensland Cairns Regional Council

After 12 months of strong campaign and trade engagement activity in the UK and Europe, TTNQ’s Katherine Cutler and the 21 members attending Marketplace UK and Europe found strong interest in Tropical North Queensland. The Tourism Australia event attracted 116 agents from 30 agencies over two days of scheduled appointments and networking opportunities. Our region is a top choice for first-time UK travellers to Australia as they prioritise appealing climates, value for money and natural beauty. The trade is capitalising on these insights by producing tailored itineraries and promotional materials to meet expectations. They are especially excited about joining ATE25 in Brisbane which will give our region famil opportunities.

TTNQ, Tourism and Events Queensland and Singapore Airlines hosted 13 senior travel agents from Delhi and Mumbai on a famil of Cairns & Great Barrier Reef. Members joined a networking dinner for the opportunity to showcase their business opportunities in the Indian market. Special thanks to DoubleTree by Hilton for providing a delicious Indian dinner which all the delegates enjoyed.

TTNQ supported travel management company FCM Travel to host their meetings and event team conference in the region. A trade component was included which gave Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef members the opportunity to meet more than 70 meeting planners. A corporate social responsibility activity was undertaken with local charity Rosies while updates were given on the region’s key selling points.