‘Biggest aviation war chest in the country’: Fight for tourists takes off

Queensland’s state government and major airports have pooled a $200 million “war chest” to lure more international flights to the state as national borders ease.

The Palaszczuk government will pour in half the funding, the Premier boasting on Friday the state would be better placed to snap up returning travellers and rebuild its $6 billion international tourism sector.

Tourism hotspots such as Cairns have been hankering for the return of international tourists.Credit: Glenn Hunt

Speaking with cabinet members and industry figures from the Gold Coast, Ms Palaszczuk said the four-year project would help airports negotiate with airlines to fast-track more direct flights, deliver an estimated 5.3 million seats each year and pour $4 billion into businesses across the state.

“This is a large injection, we’ve been supporting the tourism economy — especially those businesses that have been affected by COVID during the pandemic — to the tune of a billion dollars,” she said.

“But this is that added incentive to welcome back tourists from destinations such as Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the US and — later of course — Canada. So, these are the markets we’re going to be in and we’re ready to say Queensland is good to go.”

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said experienced aviation professional Manny Gill would be appointed to a strategic aviation director role in his department to help oversee the rebuilding of flight routes.

The effort will focus on the Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Cairns and Gold Coast airports — the latter of which will start welcoming international flights from Monday.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli welcomed the plan, but said businesses also needed additional short-term support.

Queensland had been warned throughout the pandemic its hard line on COVID risked damaging tourism. The state has since removed all domestic border restrictions, eased business and travel rules, and ruled out mandating boosters for entry to pubs and cafes.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this week that fully vaccinated international tourists would be able to return from February 21.

Tourism Australia chief Phillipa Harrison had warned the country could fail to regain its share of global tourism after strict border closures.

She said while Sydney was the main gateway to Australia, it was sometimes complacent while Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide boosted their market share as points of entry.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation updated its advice on Thursday that people have three doses of a vaccine to be considered “up to date”. While national cabinet agreed mandates would apply only to aged care workers, state and territories have been left to make their own decisions.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had been suggesting ahead of the Thursday meeting that travellers to his state might need to have the third dose. Western Australia has delayed its border reopening indefinitely.

Alongside the Queensland government members and other tourism and airline chiefs on Friday, Destination Gold Coast chief executive Patricia O’Callaghan said Queensland needed an “aviation war chest” for it to be globally competitive.

“We now know Queensland has the biggest aviation war chest in the country,” she said.

“The message today to all our global airlines is that if you’re going to fly into Australia, there is only one place to land, and that’s Queensland.”

The state government also announced a separate series of domestic tourism campaigns this week, worth $5.2 million and aimed at enticing more travellers from NSW and Victoria to visit the state.

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