The three principal destinations of Cairns, Port Douglas and Palm Cove have always drawn visitors from around the globe even though for some it is the destination furthest from home.
Right now bureau leader Tara Bennett says business is largely domestic.
“With the international market being slower coming back, we’ve been really fortunate that national groups have been strong and the quieter months such as May were so busy, just back-to-back with groups,” she said.
“So it’s been a really solid year – we’d like to see a bit more coming through, however we see that it has been very, very positive in light of some of the constraints that are out there.”
While 2022 was “phenomenal but brought its own challenges” she now describes the market as “business as usual, which, for us, is not a bad thing”.
She says the full return of the international market was very dependent on aviation costs.
“They have started to come down – the US was the first,” she says.
Bennett added that she was optimistic that by the end of this calendar year there will start to be more of a balance between international and domestic traffic.
Meanwhile there are some bright signs with the return of the Japanese market that used to be the predominant visitor segment from Asia.
“The Japanese are back and it is really interesting because their economy is not in a great place and the Yen’s value isn’t fantastic,” says Bennett.
Of all the region’s international markets, Japan is the one that is already back to pre-COVID numbers. Bennett puts it down to the current air access – one daily flight with Virgin and two daily with Jetstar, although Virgin will end their service next February, due to lack of demand.
Asked about an over-reliance on the Chinese visitor market, Bennett’s reply is balanced.
“It is an interesting one isn’t it…lessons learnt absolutely but I feel we have always approached our market mix knowing we had to have a number of countries/sectors that we were targeting so that you aren’t too vulnerable.”
Within the region she said while Port Douglas is traditionally more focused on the western market, Cairns is also getting more from this market.
“Cairns has started to see a lot more of the western market than it used to do. It has had such a revitalisation that people are starting to see it with new eyes.”
Bennett and her team brought 18 operators to Melbourne last week on a blisteringly cold, windy winter’s day.
“Lucky I originally came from Victoria and knew what weather we were in for…but we brought you a bit of sunshine with our visit,” she said.
