Central Queensland central to Destination 2045
- Central Queensland to benefit from 20-year tourism plan Destination 2045 with improvements to national parks and attractions.
- A boost to regional connectivity will deliver more visitors to the region.
- Destination 2045 sets the stage for Queensland to become a global leader in ecotourism, Australia's home of events, and a well-connected international destination.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start for Central Queensland in the newly unveiled 20-year tourism plan Destination 2045: Queensland's Tourism Future.
Destination 2045 is a visionary roadmap to supercharge the State's tourism industry into a new era of growth, sustainability and global leadership.
From Central Queensland's coastal islands to Mount Morgan, the region is set for a tourism refresh, with a focus on tapping into the ecotourism potential of the central region.
Destination 2045 is set to deliver the following tourism projects in Central Queensland:
- Byfield National Park: upgrades are improving access and enhancing camping, trails, and day-use areas, creating unforgettable visitor experiences.
- Queensland is home of events: half of events calendar growth will be in the regions including Central Queensland.
- Great Barrier Reef islands rejuvenation: investing in sustainable infrastructure projects on Great Barrier Reef islands, including Great Keppel Island.
- Boosting drive tourism: making Queensland famous for multi-stop road trips and journeys, getting more people travelling to Central Queensland.
- Dark Skies: investigating Dark Sky accreditation in suitable locations in Central Queensland to safeguard our night skies and provide opportunities for visitors to experience the night sky.
- Mount Morgan Tourism Feasibility Study: a new feasibility study is proposed to position Mount Morgan as a tourism goldmine.
- Improving connectivity: $188 million to get started on the Bruce Highway – Gladstone to Rockhampton Upgrades; part of the $9 billion investment to fix the Bruce Highway.
- North Curtis Island Masterplan: unlocking opportunities for birdwatching, citizen science, and voluntourism.
Destination 2045 aims to more than double the value of visitor expenditure to Queensland's economy to $84 billion in two decades, while employing 25 per cent more Queenslanders directly.
The plan overturns a decade of failure by Labor on tourism, and commits to reverse funding cuts planned under the former Government that would have reduced programs and services.
The plan builds on tourism's critical role in Queensland's economy, which currently supports more than 270,000 jobs and generates $115m a day in visitor expenditure. About nine out of 10 tourism operations are small businesses.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said Destination 2045 sets a new benchmark for Queensland's tourism industry.
"Central Queensland is home to natural havens – from easy access to the Southern Reef to North Curtis Island," Minister Powell said.
"By unlocking the full ecotourism potential of Central Queensland, with projects through Destination 2045 including the North Curtis Island Masterplan and Byfield National Park upgrades, we will position the region as a tourism hotspot to be enjoyed for generations to come."
