Influential event to showcase FNQ overseas

l CAIRNS

| Nick Dalton

G’DAY Australia, a million-dollar tourism marketing event in Cairns later this year, is expected to kickstart the revival of the region’s international visitor market.

G’Day Australia involves bringing 300 specialist travel agents from the US and Canada, the UK, Europe (including Germany, France and Italy),

Asia (including China and Japan) and New Zealand for three days in October for training about the destination and to experience the tropical north and the Great Barrier Reef for themselves both before and after the event.

The event (previously known as ‘Corroboree’), which is a partnership between Tourism Australia, Tourism and Events Queensland and Tourism Tropical North Queensland Tourism, is being held for the first time in the city in 10 years and in Australia since 2019.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said G’Day Australia was critical to revitalising the region’s lucrative international tourism market which was currently only worth 20 per cent in terms of volume and value.

“This will give it a massive boost … it will be worth millions of dollars in advertising value,” he said.

“It will be an enormous shot in the arm for international aviation recovery.”

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From little things big things grow!

“I can’t swim in my pool in fear of catching some horrendous disease. My outdoor furniture is ruined, everything is splattered with their mess. It is affecting my health, sending me mad.”

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said fixing the problem would protect the community and local flying fox populations.

“I have spoken to many residents who are worried about living so close to flying foxes and asked council to consider safely nudging them back into trees across the road,” he said.

Cr Kerr said he wanted to create a plan to protect both the bats and residents.

“Spectacled flying-foxes play a vital role in our eco-system and are efficient pollinators and seed dispersers of native trees,” he said.

“I would like to see this issue addressed in a sensitive and safe manner under supervision from a trained ecologist ...”