Tourism News

TOURISM NEWS Australia’s newest tourism destination opens

One of the world’s last untapped tourism destinations, the Torres Strait, is now accessible for the first time ever in a day trip flying from Cairns thanks to the launch of a new tour that packs six iconic Torres Strait experiences across two islands, into one big day out.

A Strait Day is a new tour developed by Torres Strait mates, Fraser Nai and John Palmer. The tour gives visitors the rare opportunity to experience a magical destination where ancient culture is still embedded into everyday life. A maiden tour took place on June 04, 2022 and allowed visitors to seamlessly hop-scotch between Thursday and Horn Islands to learn about culture, food, history, and tradition, all in one convenient package that departs from Cairns. Co-founder of Strait Experience and a proud Traditional Owner on Masig Island, Fraser Nai says the tour provides a powerful platform to tell the story of his culture to a new audience.

“This is the last frontier for tourism in Australia. It is the only part of Australia where you will see two Indigenous Peoples living on their own country. It’s full of unrivalled cultural experiences put together by really friendly locals,” Mr Nai said. Mr Nai is passionate about platforming small Torres Strait Island businesses in order to empower their community, stimulate economic growth, and create pathways.

A Strait Day, Fraser Nai and traveller – Photo: @phlipvids

Wonder Reef is officially open for business

The Gold Coast’s newest attraction Wonder Reef was officially opened with an underwater ribbon cutting by Mayor Tom Tate and Deputy Premier Steven Miles.

The world-class $5 million dive attraction for experienced divers is an innovative fusion of art, science and engineering design and has attracted hundreds of different marine life species in just a few short months. Mayor Tom Tate said the experience was out of this world and he can see why this project has divers from all corners of the globe excited. “It is just an amazing experience; the marine life is as good as what you’ll see at any other dive site. The coral is thriving, and the sculptures are just mesmerising. “Renewing our tourism products and attractions is vital if we want to keep our title as Australia’s tourism capital – and believe me this is something special. “This unique site is already attracting global publicity and Destination GC is leveraging that publicity with a campaign to draw in more tourists who will want to experience Wonder Reef.” The project is a joint initiative between City of Gold Coast and the Queensland Government. Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning Steven Miles said: “Queensland’s diving spots are up there with the best in the world. I’ve seen this spectacular dive site firsthand, and the world is in for a treat when it officially opens.” Member for Gaven and Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said Wonder Reef was a wonderful addition to Gold Coast tourism. “Wonder Reef builds on our trademark for innovative tourism experiences that make the Gold Coast Australia’s favourite holiday destination. “This opens up an entirely new world of Gold Coast experiences that confirms our city’s place on Queensland’s global diving map.”

Wonder Reef Gold Coast – Photo: @phlipvids

The reef consists of nine giant buoyant reef sculptures which have become home to hundreds of different marine life species in recent months including lobsters, octopus, tropical fish, turtles, and giant gropers. Coral was planted at the site in late 2021 and has created a colourful experience on the reef where locals and tourists can dive to a depth of 30 metres, all within a 10-minute boat trip from the Gold Coast Seaway.

ATEC event to generate $1.5 million for FNQ visitor economy

Thrusting Tropical North Queensland firmly into inbound tourism operators’ line of sight, Cairns has been chosen to host more than 300 industry leaders who are attending the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) Meeting Place in November.

Seen as another win for the Cairns Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event is expected to generate a $1.5 million windfall for the Far North’s visitor economy.

Announcing the news, Member for Cairns and Assistant Tourism Minister Michael Healy said the event offered an important opportunity to put Queensland visitor experiences at the top of international buyers’ lists.

He said: “I can’t think of a better place than the tropical paradise of Cairns to bring together more than 300 tourism industry leaders and decision-makers.

“Backing the ATEC Meeting Place brings business visitors to FNQ who fill hotel rooms, restaurants and sample tour experiences you can only find in Queensland. “Hosting the ATEC Meeting Place in Cairns is a great opportunity to remind decision-makers of the amazing world-class tourism experiences in the Far North. “We know there is pent-up demand for inbound international travel to Australia.”

Taking place from November 21-23, 2022, the ATEC Meeting Place conference event has been secured for Cairns in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) and Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ).

ATEC Managing Director, Peter Shelley said Meeting Place is a vital part of the industry supply chain. “Meeting Place has a long and well-established history as the place for tourism suppliers to showcase their products to influential tourism distributors who promote their offering to the international markets,” he said.

“As we begin the road back to industry success, Meeting Place provides an important platform for tourism products to profile what’s new and what’s changed in the two years our borders were closed.

“It is important for all suppliers seeking to re-engage with the high value international market, to understand how markets have changed and importantly, work to establish relationships within the trade distribution partners to help drive future growth and to support the rebuild of our $45 billion export industry”. TTNQ Chief Executive Officer, Mark Olsen said hosting ATEC Meeting Place 2022 would be a great opportunity to showcase the destination to inbound tour operators. “We have more than 30 new experiences in Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef including city walks, reef tours, Indigenous operators and rainforest experiences,” he said. “The inbound tour operators will be wowed by the transformation of Cairns with the stunning Esplanade dining precinct, new city hotels and vibrant bar and food scene.

“Having them experience the region first-hand will be integral to rebuilding our key international markets and reclaiming our $1 billion a year export industry for this region.” The ATEC Meeting Place will include business-to-business workshops, a full day conference, pre and post familiarisation programs for buyers and networking opportunities. The Queensland Government has invested $7 million to assist Queensland exhibition spaces to attract more conferences to support jobs and economic recovery.

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