Queensland election 2024: Gold Coast business figures slam Labor tourism funding for Cairns
A leading city business figure said the Labor promise of $10 million for a regional tourism body over four years was “bulls — t pork barrelling” ahead of the election.
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A leading city tourism figure said the Labor promise of $10 million for a regional tourism body over four years was “bulls — t pork barrelling” ahead of the election.
The state government on Saturday announced the funding, to be spread across four years, which will be aimed at reviving overseas tourism and “the value of domestic tourism” for Cairns.
The funding, Labor says, will allow Tourism Tropical North Queensland “to deliver an extra 200,000 visitors to Queensland”.
Premier Steven Miles said Cairns was “the northern gateway to the world”.
“This investment will deliver half a million more visitors to Queensland over four years and $735 million of visitor spending supporting another 2185 jobs,” he said.
“Cairns is the northern gateway to Australia for international visitors with flights from Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
“This investment will benefit the Far North and tourism markets across Queensland.”
But the funding boost, aimed a state Tourism Minister Michael Healy’s seat of Cairns, has raised eyebrows on the Gold Coast.
A leading tourism figure said the funding should have been spread around the state.
“I’m shocked but not surprised – because the Minister for Tourism Michael Healy is the local member for Cairns,” they said.
“This is about government pork barrelling to get votes. This is about Labor people trying to keep their seats.”
The city leader said if far north Queensland was getting $10m from the state then “what about us?”.
“People just think the Gold Coast will be OK – well we won’t be OK. That $10m promise should be going to the statewide body Tourism and Events Queensland – TEQ hasn’t got enough money to do what it wants to do. Why is Cairns getting it – the state government has a tourism organisation called TEQ and it’s very successful.”
It comes in the face of a tough tourism market.
A Bulletin report in August showed a sharp decline in international visitors passing through Gold Coast Airport as the loss of connections outside Australia and New Zealand.
Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey shows the city generated $1.131 billion in expenditure from internationals in 12 months to the end of March.
That was down $228 million on pre-pandemic figures recorded at the same time five years ago – a 16.7 per cent decline. Only Melbourne fared worse in dollar terms, with international visitor expenditure in the Victorian capital down $727 million – a nine per cent drop on 2019.
Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek said the process around the funding was clear.
“It’s obviously because it is Michael Healy’s seat and I’d like to see the process by which it is identified that kind of investment is made,” he said.
“There are tourism agencies in every region and the Gold Coast City Council makes a huge contribution which helps make it clear that this is the No. 1 destination in the state and country.
“I don’t begrudge any region getting funding, I want there to be success everywhere.
“The Gold Coast does not put its hand out yet we have the runs on the board.” A Miles Government spokeswoman hit back, slamming the LNP’s lack of detail surrounding its tourism policy. “David Crisafulli has officially abandoned the Gold Coast,” she said.
“ He’s moved to Brisbane and despite being shadow tourism minister he has not promised a cent for Gold Coast tourism.
“The Leader of the Opposition has been talking about a 20-year tourism plan for years but again, there is no further detail just weeks out from the election.
“The LNP is yet to demonstrate how it can fund any of its election commitments and are refusing to release their economic or tax plans for the state.
“The LNP’s small target strategy is a mask for their real agenda - cuts.”
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