Cairns tourism’s plan to lure domestic travellers before international travel resumes
Cairns Airport boss Richard Barker has outlined how travel is set to return to the Far North as vaccination rates grow towards an 80 per cent target. HAVE YOUR SAY
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THE Cairns business and tourism sectors have narrowed their focus on regaining Australian travellers back to the Far North, parking the thought of what the international market could bring in 2022.
With more than half of the country’s 25 million people currently living in lockdown amid major outbreaks in New South Wales and Victoria – the region’s two biggest domestic markets – efforts among key industries are fixed on getting Sydneysiders and Melburnians back to the tropical north before turning their attention abroad.
Despite Qantas chief Alan Joyce’s expectation the airline could start international flights as early as Christmas, the national carrier and sister company Jetstar have no such plans for departures from Cairns Airport this year.
Tourism players are, instead, laser focused on attracting Queenslanders and southerners back when the internal borders open up.
This is how they’ll do it.
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MARKETING THE FAR NORTH
Tourism Tropical North Queensland boss Mark Olsen says there is no doubt where the next bounce will come from.
“The key markets between now and June 2022 remain Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria which are where more than half of all our visitors pre-Covid came from,” he said.
“The challenge will not just be the vaccination rate, but the acceptance of vaccine safety to see borders reopen with Victoria first and then New South Wales.”
He said places like Cairns and Port Douglas could not survive relying on visitors from the sunshine state, South Australia and Tasmania.
“If New South Wales and Victoria remain closed to Queensland between now and Christmas on top of the losses from international tourism it will have a $1 billion impact on our region,” he said.
TTNQ will launch a national campaign in mid-September for travel throughout spring, summer and into autumn next year, with incredible deals for holiday-makers “particularly targeted at our domestic low season of summer.”
“We have campaigns under way across print and online media as well as billboards to encourage Queenslanders to holiday in Cairns and Great Barrier Reef during the school holidays,” Mr Olsen said.
“The spring campaign in southeast Queensland and Adelaide will also drive visitation through operator deals in the lead-up to the school holidays. “
CAIRNS AIRPORT AND AIRLINES
Cairns Airport is not expecting a return of domestic tourists from the Far North’s two biggest markets anytime soon as a race to get the bulk of the country vaccinated intensifies.
It comes after a bold declaration by Qantas who claimed they expect to resume international travel by Christmas with destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore on the table.
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Richard Barker said the immediate aim was getting aircraft across state lines before entertaining international airlines and options.
“First priority is getting domestic borders open and then staying open as they are our biggest tourism market,” he said.
“We’re not expecting to see the return of NSW or Victoria until later this year.”
The Qantas announcement was hinged to Australia’s vaccine rollout and the Morrison Government’s plan to get 80 per cent of the population vaccinated by December.
The national carrier’s chief, Alan Joyce, said destinations with high vaccination rates and low Covid risk – such as England, and North America – would be their first priority for international travel, with current projections for mid- December 2021 “in reach”.
Mr Barker said once the “70-80 per cent” vaccinations target was met both domestic and international markets would reopen.
“We have also seen air travel in the rest of the world rebound strongly when travellers don’t have to worry about Covid because they are vaccinated and they don’t worry about being locked down,” he said.
“We are continuing to work with the same markets including Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and then other countries as Australia reopens its borders.”
CRUISE SHIPS
While international cruise ships remain frozen out of the Australian market given the omnipresent Covid risk, the Cruise Lines International Association is calling for a phased and “carefully controlled” resumption of domestic operations.
More than $6 billion has been lost to the Australian economy since cruising was suspended in March last year, putting more than 18,000 jobs in jeopardy across the country.
CLIA managing director Joel Katz said testing and health protocols could allow for Australians to cruise in our own waters by mid-September.
The federal government’s suspension of cruise liners is due for review next month.
“CLIA is calling for a phased and carefully controlled resumption of domestic cruising in Australia, beginning with local cruises for locals passengers only,” he said.
“This would initially involve limited itineraries within local waters while border restrictions remain – catering to Australian residents only, within Australia.
“This would mean no passenger could cruise to a destination they wouldn’t otherwise be able to visit by land or air. At the appropriate time, this could be expanded to include a trans-Tasman bubble.”
Similar domestic-first cruise models are already operating successfully under strict health protocols overseas, including in parts of Europe and Asia.
Mr Katz said now was the time for governments to agree on a responsible pathway to cruisings resumption, so that businesses and communities throughout the region can plan for a much-needed tourism revival.
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
The Cairns Convention Centre is “very optimistic” about bookings for next year despite the pressures of the global pandemic.
The $180 million facility has developed a comprehensive Covid safe plan and have been able to still put on successful events and performances.
Getting corporate conferences and events remains a challenge due to the lead time needed for event planning but Cairns was still seen as a “safer” destination that anywhere else in Australia.
“Our industry is a little different to leisure tourism in that our lead times for conferences are longer,” a spokesman from the centre said.
“The events need to be planned in advance in regards to guest speakers and conference content and the event organisers need to have enough time to promote the conference as they have delegates attending from all over the country, and from overseas once we re-open the international borders.
“We are also working with our clients who have events planned for next year and who have had to move conferences from this year to next due to Covid.”
The centre has several major national conferences confirmed “as well as strong interest from concerts and events.”
“We have had a lot of interest for international conventions, and once the international borders open up we work hard to lock in as many of these events as possible to get overseas business delegates travelling back to Cairns.”
Originally published as Cairns tourism’s plan to lure domestic travellers before international travel resumes
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