Far North Queensland's tourism industry set for growth
- Far North Queensland shines in bold 20-year tourism plan, Destination 2045.
- From the Reef to the rainforest, Far North Queensland is a world-class tourism destination, home to ecotourism gems and poised for growth.
- 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 Far North 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 easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, Far North Queensland is home to one-of-a-kind destinations for nature lovers, setting the stage for becoming an ecotourism powerhouse.
Destination 2045 is set to deliver the following tourism projects in Far North:
- Improved connectivity: new Connecting Queensland fund attracting new international flights to Cairns, with better intrastate connections.
- Great Barrier Reef islands rejuvenation: investing in sustainable infrastructure projects on Great Barrier Reef islands.
- Queensland is home of events: half of events calendar growth will be in the regions including Tropical North Queensland and growing business events to $2 billion.
- Wangetti Trail: delivery of a 94-kilometre hiking and biking trail from Palm Cove to Port Douglas in Tropical North Queensland.
- Smithfield Bike Trail: delivery of a 52-kilometre expansion of the Smithfield Mountain bike network in Cairns.
- Daintree Cultural and Ecotourism Centre: new First Nations centre offering visitors an unforgettable cultural and tourism experience in the heart of the iconic Daintree National Park.
- Lake Eacham Day Use Area: upgrades to the Lake Eacham Day Use Area to improve the visitor experience with new infrastructure and improved accessibility with a more natural and welcoming environment.
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 set a new benchmark for Queensland's tourism industry.
"Cairns is already making waves as a world-class tourist haven – from day trips on the reef to long-haul cruises including Carnival Encounter which called into Cairns today," said Minister Powell.
"Far North Queensland is home to globally renowned and truly breathtaking natural landscapes, including the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.
"Ecotourism, and the joy of taking part in experiences in nature, is one of Far North Queensland's unique competitive advantages – and Destination 2045 will foster an environment where Far North Queensland can continue to grow."
Assistant Tourism Minister Bree James said Far North Queensland's community was reliant on tourism growth.
"Tourism supports 1 in 6 jobs in Tropical North Queensland – it is the backbone of our economy," said Assistant Minister James.
"Destination 2045 ensures we seize the opportunities to showcase what Far North Queensland has to offer by responsibly unlocking our natural assets for all to enjoy, with an aspiration to become the most accessible ecotourism destination in the world.
"There are so many exciting opportunities for our local economy with this plan and I am looking forward to seeing them come to fruition now and into the future."
