General News
1 July, 2021
Port Douglas and Daintree to be the choice for interstate tourists
With the continued closure of Australian international borders, domestic tourism is proving the savour for many popular destinations.
According to travel guide experts both the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree are in the top 10 tourist destinations in Australia currently.
The Great Barrier Reef is number 2 and the Daintree is placed eight. Douglas Shire Council this week turned the spotlight brightly on Port Douglas and the Daintree, with the focus on attracting high value travellers and event revellers.
Tourism Port Douglas Daintree (TPDD) received not just the approval of Council for their regional tourism strategy they also received a massive funding boost with $1.35 million committed over the next three years.
The planned strategies will see the re-positioning of the region as a destination of choice for domestic tourists.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said TPDD was well poised to cut-through a cluttered domestic tourism market.
“Today we are backing our tourism sector when they need it most and rewarding TPDD for their impressive plan to continue bringing people into our region.” he said.
“Through COVID our region has emerged as one of the most affected in Queensland with a loss of almost 1,000 jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars lost from the local economy and the rise of key challenges such as workforce shortages, lack of available housing and low tour bookings.
“In 2021, we have seen more high value travellers and self-drive visitors re-discover their hunger for our region, as well as the return of Port Douglas Carnivale and new sporting events such as the recent Olympic triathlon events in Port Douglas.”
“Events generate tourism for the region, showcasing our destination and allowing us to share our story with a wider diverse audience.”
TPDD plans to increase activities in the events market, focusing on those that take advantage of our unique tropical lifestyle, food and culture. An estimated 37,000 plus people attended significant events in the Port Douglas Daintree region during 2019.
Events in Port Douglas Daintree attract a significant number of visitors from interstate with Victoria and New South Wales amounting to approximately 35% of all visitors.
Forward bookings, particularly in the High Value Traveller segment, continue to outperform pre-COVID numbers.
Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) has identified such visitors as High Value Travellers (HVT’s) who engage in domestic leisure travel, spend more than the average traveller on leisure trips, and are aligned to experiences offered in Queensland.
The development and delivery of a Destination Tourism Plan, Events, Brand, and Digital strategies has positioned TPDD to achieve greater market share and cut through.
TPDD Chairman Cam Charlton said the increased funding would help the organisation continue to position the region as the world’s leading sustainable eco luxury destination and promote its inspirational experiences.
“We will continue to support the development of new visitor experiences and work closely with Douglas Shire Council to secure additional regional events, to be strategically scheduled during shoulder and low seasons to reduce the impact of seasonality,” he said.
“We are passionate about ensuring our visitors leave the region revitalized and rejuvenated, really bringing home the “See Great, Leave Greater” message that is resonating for the entire TNQ region.
“We are very grateful for the excellent partnership TPDD has with Douglas Shire Council and we sincerely thank them for backing our strategy and vision for the region.”
