General News
20 May, 2022
INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE …for Cairns and Great Barrier Reef
THE Tourism Tropical North Queensland team joined forces with more than 70 products to sell Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef at the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) in Sydney from Sunday, May 15 to Wednesday, May 18.
The largest tourism trade show in the southern hemisphere, the hybrid event was held live with more than 1,000 international travel trade buyers and Australian product representatives at the Sydney International Convention Centre on May 15-18 and online with some 1,200 Australian products and international buyers on May 24-26.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen and Chair Ken Chapman plus TTNQ’s four marketing team members attended the event to meet with travel wholesalers, online travel agents, inbound tour operators, international travel agents specialising in Australian travel, Tourism Australia, and Tourism and Events Queensland.
Mr Olsen said Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef had traditionally been the largest contingent at ATE before the pandemic, and it was pleasing to see such substantial numbers representing the destination once again.
“Operators from Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef have been itching to get in front of the international tourism trade once again, and ATE is their first chance in three years to have face-to-face meetings with these important buyers,” he said.
“It is a very intense business event with our industry arriving on Sunday ready for 75 appointments across two and a half days.
“Each appointment is just 13 minutes in duration, and then they move on to the next buyer to update them on new products, itineraries and packages.
“In between, there are networking events where there is time to talk in-depth with key international contacts wanting to bring travellers to the Great Barrier Reef and the world’s oldest rainforest.
“Nearly all the Western market representatives will be there in person, and we have a strong contingent from Japan, while the Chinese meetings will mostly be online.
“The online event has 137 appointments over three days, with the team rising early and continuing late into the evening to accommodate buyers from different time zones.
“The team is pleased to see some familiar names in their appointment schedule where they have already built relationships with the individual or the company they are representing.
“We compiled a list of the products that have emerged in the region over 18 months and have ended up with more than 30 new experiences to use as part of the education process with the international markets.
“ATE is the first big step for our destination’s re-entry plan for our key international markets, and TTNQ will be working with members to make sure Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are front of mind for the travel trade.”
