General News
6 February, 2026
Tourism lessons
THE latest global trends shaping the Far North’s tourism growth have been outlined to 150 operators at the Cairns Convention Centre this week.
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Craig Davidson said bringing international directors and country managers into regional Queensland allowed operators to hear directly what was driving demand overseas.
“Understanding what people are travelling for causes them to travel for nature-based experiences, and certainly eco-tourism, and they want to know what operators are doing to help the planet.
“We’re seeing an increase in spend so people want bespoke experiences, better quality experiences … they’re willing to pay for it.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said the briefing helped operators align their products with changing customer expectations.
“This is really the building block of the business plans for the next 12 months, two years and three years,” he said.
“You really need to make sure you can match your product to the customer and you don’t have time to muck around.”
