Tourism on Q

In this edition:

On the fly
People on the move
Events
G'day! Enjoy your stay! Good news story

Rescue package cooperative opportunities

As part of the State Government’s $4 million rescue package for the Queensland tourism industry, Tourism Queensland is implementing a major domestic campaign with direct to operator call-to-action in September. This activity will focus on the Queensland northern New South Wales, Sydney and Melbourne markets. The campaign will consist of press, digital and radio advertising with Queensland operators invited to participate at heavily subsidised rates. Formatted panels are available in The Sunday Mail from $550. For bookings and more information contact Coroneo & Co, Tel 07 3252 4860.

Touring South East Queensland Country

The best wineries, arts and crafts galleries, national parks and B&Bs in South East Queensland's Country will feature in the recently released visitor's touring guide for the region. The 2008 South East Queensland Country Touring Guide has a wide range of escape ideas highlighting the touring treasures of the region and short-break getaway ideas. For the first time this year the guide includes a pull-out map of all the wineries in region. This 10th edition has been compiled by Tourism Queensland in partnership with the regional and local tourism organisations including Brisbane Marketing, Toowoomba and Golden West Tourism, Southern Downs and Granite Belt Tourist Association, Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism and Tourism Sunshine Coast. 150,000 copies will be distributed through RACQ offices and accredited visitor information centres throughout Queensland as well as at consumer shows nationally.

Queensland on Tour UK

The 2008 Queensland on Tour UK roadshow will go to Copenhagen, London, Dublin, Manchester and Glasgow, 4 to 12 December. We expect to meet around 400 people from the UK, Ireland and Nordic tourism industry including travel agents, product managers and reservation staff, select travel trade journalists and consumer media journalists. Please send your registration form as soon as possible to Anne Miller, as only 20 slots are available. Deadline for expressions of interest is 31 July.

Koreans to toast Queensland wines

The publisher of Korea's leading wine magazine Wine Review has led a high level wine delegation in Queensland. The group travelled to winemakers in the Granite Belt, Darling Downs, South Burnett and Scenic Rim. The delegation follows the successful Wine Trade Mission to Korea in 2007. Wine Review is Korea's most important source of wine information with a distribution of 15,000 a month. Comprising two Korean wine importers, three media representatives from Wine Review and two wine professors from the Yeungnam University, the delegation was a joint initiative of Queensland's Trade and International Operations Office in Korea and the Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry.

More news

For the latest media releases from Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle, click here.

On the fly

• Last chance to secure your space in TQ London’s independent traveller online e-zine! The e-zine will target the independent traveller market (predominately youth) and serve as a central online platform for Queensland youth/backpacker products, gap year holidays and working holiday information. The e-zine will include dedicated sections for RTOs, partners, airlines and Queensland industry. For more information, contact Jo Devine. Booking close on Friday.
  

• Last weekend’s Gold Coast Airport Marathon drew a record number of participants. Of the 2500 international participants 1839 were Japanese, a 47% increase on Japanese numbers in 2007. Tourism Queensland’s Japan office has worked closely with the Gold Coast Marathon Japan office for the past several years developing marketing material and advertising campaigns.
  

• Tourism Queensland and the five RTOs of South East Queensland Country are seeking proposals from suitable venues to host the 2008 South East Queensland Country Conference. The South East Queensland Country Conference will be held on Thursday 6 November and is anticipated to attract more than 160 delegates. For a copy of the tender brief, please contact e-Kiddna Event Management, Tel 5548 6199. Applications close Friday 18 July.
  

• Newspoll has named the Great Barrier Reef as Australia’s top destination for four-week driving breaks. Global warming may be putting pressure on Australian’s iconic Great Barrier Reef, but for huge numbers of Australians, Tropical North Queensland beckons like nowhere else in the country. A recent Newspoll survey of 1200 people nationwide found the Great Barrier Reef was the stand-out when it cames to Australians’ preferred destination for a four-week driving holiday with almost 27% of the poll choosing the Reef as their preferred holiday destination.

• Air New Zealand has reaffirmed its commitment to trans-Tasman services from Auckland to Cairns by announcing an increase in its services from three to four a week from November. The region’s tourism operators will further benefit from a major rescheduling of all of Air New Zealand’s services into Cairns.
  

• Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove has scored top honours at the inaugural BT Publishing e-awards, taking home the award for the Event Venue of the Year category.
  

• To help the Australian tourism industry promote the best environmental products and initiatives to the world’s media, Tourism Australia has launched Greenwatch - a quarterly newsletter for international media. If you would like your product or environmental initiative to be shared with the world’s media, submit your story to greenwatch@tourism.australia.com.To view the first edition of Greenwatch, visit www.tourism.australia.com.
  

People on the move

• Queensland Airports Ltd is seeking a Marketing Analyst for a 12-month contract in the Business Development & Marketing Department. For more information, please visit www.qldairports.com.au.
  

For employment opportunities at Tourism Queensland please visit Opportunities at TQ.

Events

• The Hervey Bay Whale Festival is on 2-17 Aug and marks the beginning of the Hervey Bay Whale Watch season. There is an exciting range of events including a Family Fun day at Seafront Oval on Saturday 9th, with the Illuminated Street Parade and a grand finale of spectacular fireworks. For more information visit www.herveybaywhalefestival.com.au.
  

• The 2008 Cruise Down Under Conference and AGM will be held 27-29 August at The Langham Hotel in Melbourne and is a ‘must attend event’ if you play a part in the Australian cruise market or wish to enter it. The conference is the major cruise industry event in Australia. Registrations are open to both members and non members of CDU. The conference program and online registration is available at www.cruisedownunder.com.
  

G'Day! Enjoy your stay! Good news story

Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas recently received a glowing review from a visitor:

Words can hardly describe how much we enjoyed our holiday to the beautiful town of Port Douglas. It was great from the moment we left Cairns - the drive to Port Douglas is breathtaking, as you wind along the road that runs next to the ocean up the coastline. On arriving at the Mirage, we were greeted by a friendly porter who took our car to our Villa, whilst we checked in. He then drove us to our villa, which was a fair distance from the main reception but located among the green golf course and a one minute walk to four mile beach.

Despite what other reviewers have said, which made me question paying big money to stay at a Villa, it was beautiful, right out of a home living magazine. The porter told us it had been recently refurbished, and they had done a wonderful job at it, with modern furniture, lighting, paintings, the lot. It felt instantly like home. Definitely worth the money.

It is wonderful to walk along four mile beach each morning and if you get sick of walking, porters will come and pick you up and drop you back to your room.

The lagoons were amazing. They make the resort stand apart from all its competitors up here.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone who is after a relaxing holiday. It is hard not to get caught up in the friendly, laid back feel of Port Douglas.

I have travelled the world, and I must say that Port Doulgas is in one of my top spots of holidays, and we are planning to make a yearly trip to stay at the Mirage.

The only thing we disliked about the holiday was to leave.

Melissa

Tourism On Q is always of the look out for good news stories that exemplify the G'day! Enjoy your stay! visitor hospitality campaign. Please share your story about going above and beyond the call of duty for a tourist by emailing Tourism On Q.

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