New tourism boss eyes major sports events as key to industry recovery

New Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Patricia O’Callaghan, in her first interview since taking over the role, unveils her ambitious plan to catapult the state towards the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Queensland’s new tourism boss wants a blockbuster calendar of “rock star” sporting events to catapult the Sunshine State towards the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

In her first interview since starting as the new CEO of Tourism and Events Queensland, Patricia O’Callaghan said growing the state’s $750 million events portfolio would be a key driver in keeping Queensland at the forefront of an increasingly competitive tourism landscape.

Ms O’Callaghan, who replaced long-serving former TEQ boss Leanne Coddington last month, believes major events, many of them sports-related, would help achieve an ambitious target of virtually doubling the value of Queensland’s tourism industry to $44 billion by 2032.

Tourism and Events Queensland’s new CEO Patricia O'Callaghan. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Queensland Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe is a basketball fanatic who has already spoken of dreams to lure the NBA to Brisbane before the city’s turn as Olympic host, while the World Athletics Championships and World Swimming Championships are other big-ticket items with hosting rights up for grabs.

“Certainly that is the calibre of event we would be open to talking to and we believe they would be interested in coming to Queensland,” Ms O’Callaghan said.

“It’s an extremely competitive landscape and we need to back ourselves.

“Blockbuster sporting events are critical to our vision.

“They are the rock stars of our tourism portfolio because they inject millions into the visitor economy, create jobs and support our leisure offerings right across the state.”

The World Athletics Championships are committed to Tokyo for 2025, but the ’27, ’29 and ’31 editions are still up for grabs, while swimming’s world body is yet to lock in the ’29 and ’31 competitions.

The events are goldmines for host cities – provided they have the necessary facilities, with the 2017 World Athletics Championships generating more than $200m for the London economy.

In Brisbane’s favour is the fact that few locations would invest the capital required to stage events of such magnitude, but since venues are already planned for the 2032 Olympics, it’s a handy head start.

Nigeria's Tobi Amusan celebrates at last year’s World Athletics Championships. Hosting the blue-ribbon event would be a coup for Brisbane heading into the 2032 Olympics.

The new LIV golf tour would also be on the radar, while there is still an appetite to bring back the Brisbane International tennis tournament which was replaced by a lukewarm response to the new United Cup format this year.

However, Ms O’Callaghan, who joins TEQ after stints in charge of tourism bodies in Townsville and on the Gold Coast, said quirky, small-scale events would also have a role to play in shaping the state’s tourism future.

“These events might not be of the same economic scale of some of the others, but they are very important to their communities and they scream Queensland.”

A $27b juggernaut before the onset of the pandemic, Queensland fared better than any other state during the Covid years in rising to top spot, albeit with an output of $24b last year.

However, with international visitation slowly returning to pre-Covid levels, Ms O’Callaghan said re-establishing traditional air routes and opening new ones would be a deciding factor in luring visitors from overseas.

“We are working hard to re-establish traditional markets as quickly as possible, but it is also about looking at emerging mega-economies as well and I see India as being a huge potential in that space,” she said.

“Business events are also an area of huge potential because of the economic impact they generate.”

But it is the nine-year countdown to the Olympics that has Ms O’Callaghan optimistic about the tourism industry’s future.

New Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Patricia O’Callaghan wants to attract major sporting events to the state in the lead-up to the Olympics. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“This is such a critical time in Queensland’s history,” she said.

“The Olympics and Paralympics are not just about the competition, it’s about the nine years in lead-up to it.

“And that really excites me.

“There are tremendous opportunities here (and) it’s the opportunity to unite Queensland as a state.”

Any major swimming or basketball event would most likely take place at the yet-to-be-built Brisbane Live Arena proposed by ASM Global and ASM’s Asia Pacific boss Harvey Lister said he would be right behind any plans to bring the major events to the venue ahead of 2032.

“I would be very supportive of that type of vision,” he said.

“We would always like to see developments like this brought forward and started as soon as possible to give the greatest chance to capitalise on the lead-up to the Olympics.”

COAST WITH THE MOST FOR FAMILIES

The Gold Coast has emerged as Australia’s top family tourist destination, according to new research from leading travel company Agoda.

The Agoda data saw the Gold Coast outrank Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane for the top spot among domestic holiday destinations, cementing the city’s reputation as Australia’s holiday playground.

Agoda Oceania Director Zsuzsanna Janos said poll respondents felt the Gold Coast ticked all the boxes for family getaways.

“Planning holidays with family groups across different age groups and budgets can be a challenge, and the Gold Coast offers remarkable diversity for families,” she said. “We are seeing great interest in destinations that offer diversity of attractions and accommodation options.”

Agoda’s Family Travel Trend Survey, which polled over 14,000 family travellers from 12 markets around the world, found the top three family attractions for Australians were visiting landmarks, spending time outdoors and basking on picturesque beaches. The Glitter Strip delivers on those in spades, with QT Gold Coast experiencing strong visitor numbers after a major refurbishment delivered during the pandemic.

QT Gold Coast general manager Dominic Rose said families and couples were flocking to the city for holidays.

“We’ve seen an influx of domestic travellers enjoying our re-imagined guest rooms and food and beverage experiences at QT Gold Coast,” he said.

“With the best beaches, shopping and entertainment on our doorstep, the destination is a summer playground for couples and family travellers, alike.”