General News
31 March, 2026
Exchanges key to role
A LEADING international education and tourism inbound tour operator is celebrating 30 years with its largest intake of students and teachers.
Banora International Group has been delivering cultural exchange programs, marking three decades of hosting international students and connecting them with Australian communities.
The organisation is marking the milestone with its largest intake to date, hosting 676 students and teachers over a two-week period.
“It feels fitting to celebrate this milestone with the biggest two weeks in our history, with 676 students plus teachers being hosted and introduced to the Australian way of life and our spectacular region as their classroom”, said Banora CEO Janine Bowmaker.
Mrs Bowmaker said the anniversary was both a personal and professional milestone.
“There’s a lot of pride, and it makes me reminisce … and I’m also quite honoured that I still have the opportunity to change students’ lives every day,” she said.
Founded on the belief that education extends beyond the classroom, Banora has built its reputation through homestay and farm stay programs designed to immerse students in everyday Australian life.
“Creating educational, life-changing experiences for students isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are,” said Mrs Bowmaker.
She said the programs focused on building confidence and connection rather than fluency.
“It’s about building your confidence and creating that spark, inspiring students when they go home to study more so that they can come back in the future,” she said.
Since its inception, Banora has partnered with education providers worldwide, welcoming thousands of students into Australian homes. The organisation’s homestay and farm-stay families play a central role, providing environments for students to develop academically, socially and emotionally.
Mrs Bowmaker said Banora contributed more than $1 million annually to homestay and farm stay families and generated over $3 million for the region each year.
Local partners also highlighted the organisation’s impact. David Nye, head of airline partnership at Cairns Airport, said Banora continued to play an important role in bringing international visitors to the region, while Samara Dever from Peace Lutheran College said the programs had connected thousands of Japanese students with Far North Queensland.
Mrs Bowmaker said the organisation would continue to expand.
