The domestic and international convention market is big business for Queensland’s world-class visitor destinations, said Queensland tourism minister Stirling Hinchliffe.
“Queensland’s popularity as a corporate events and convention destination is booming with business travel growing 77 per cent to a record $4.7 billion in the last year,” he said.
“With a runway to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Queensland brings together a perfect mix of business and leisure for building and accelerating industry partnerships and knowhow.”
Aided by the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund 2022-2025, which supports the growth of service frequency, capacity and development of new international aviation routes, there are now 14 airlines operating international flights to Queensland.
These direct flights are from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam to Brisbane, Cairns and the Gold Coast.
While most carriers have three or four services a week to Queensland, China Southern Airlines flies from Guangzhou to Brisbane daily. Virgin Australia has daily flights from Haneda to Cairns and Jetstar will soon fly daily from Osaka and Narita to Cairns.
“The introduction of wide-bodied jets by Singapore Airlines on the Cairns route next March and the recent $176-million expansion of Cairns Convention Centre bode well for business events from Asia,” said Rosie Douglas, Tourism Tropical North Queensland’s general manager of partnerships and events.
Besides the Great Barrier Reef, the region offers a range of unique incentive experiences above and below the water, including scenic helicopter flights, lunches on a rainforest river and seafood dinners on a prawn trawler.
Engaging in indigenous cultural activities, carbon-offsetting partnership and coral restoration program also make business events more meaningful, said Douglas.
With Queensland lagging behind New South Wales and Victoria in business events market share, the state government will invest $14 million over two years to bid for business events.
The ‘Towards 2032: Reshaping Queensland’s visitor economy to welcome the world’ strategy will identify comparative advantage and highest-value opportunities, including linking to Queensland’s priority industries and opportunities aligned to hosting the 2032 Olympic Games.
