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AGM

The Annual General Meeting re-elected Stephen Olle to the TTNQ Board and also reappointed him as the Board Chairman.  James Dixon was also reappointed as Deputy Chairman and Ross Steele, General Manager of Cairns Convention Centre was appointed to the board.  The 2008 -09 Board consists of Stephen Olle, James Dixon, Richard  Blanchette, Todd Parker, Ian MacLaughlin, Michael Trout, Michael Healy, Michael Coe and Ross Steele. Three vacant positions of Appointed Director will be filled shortly.

The Cairns Backpacker Famil

The Cairns Backpacker Famil which was held from 13 to 19 October was a true success.  In total 14 agents visited the destination including two Travel Cuts Aussie Specialist from North America.  The Aussie Specialists filmed all their touring, which will be uploaded on the Travel Cuts website in the coming weeks.  This is a great opportunity to showcase the destination.  The agents left the region with more confidence in selling our fantastic destination and indicated they learnt a lot about new products.  A very big thank you to all TNQ operators who supported the famil.

Sell TNQ

The CRCB Signature Event starts soon.  This year there has been huge interest from key decision makers in Business Travel.  Last week the teams from CRCB, Cairns Convention Centre and the four accommodation sponsors of Sell TNQ met to review submissions and select 40 participants from 120 applications.  This year workshops will be held in Cairns with TTNQ member businesses promoting their products to the 40 buyers.  The touring itinerary will take in the attractions, accommodation and experiences in Palm Cove and Port Douglas.

BEA Team Australia Asia Mission

CRCB’s Angela Uhlig was part of the Asia Mission targeting Asia’s corporate meetings and incentive market.  Seven Australian convention bureaux attended.  Last year almost 20,000 delegates from China attended meetings in Australia, a 48% increase from the previous year.
The mission objective was to provide a platform for bureau to meet and present to fully qualified meeting and incentive buyers and to build on relationships in Asia along with Tourism Australia representatives.
Training workshops were held for more than 120 incentive travel buyers and senior level corporate end users from Hong Kong and Shanghai. 

Product Inspection 

Each week the TTNQ team visits a member property/activity to update our product knowledge.  This week we were hosted on a site inspection at Park Regis Piermonde & Park Regis City Quays.  If you would like to host an inspection by the TTNQ team contact Emily.Beresford@tnq.org.au

14th World Route Development Forum Kuala Lumpur 

TTNQ’s Group Director of Marketing, David Rose and Rob Evans from Cairns Airport attended the Forum last month.  More than 100 airports and 300 of the world’s top airlines, covering every market sector – network carriers, regional operators, low-cost carriers, charter airlines and the cargo airline community were represented at the forum.
The TNQ team had scheduled appointments with carriers from China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, as well as airlines already serving Cairns such as Cathay Pacific and Continental Airlines. They promoted the technical and operational side of the Cairns airport and the business opportunities presented by a destination that welcomes nearly 800,000 international visitors annually.
David and Rob made the bid, sponsored by the Australian Government for Cairns to host the Asian Routes Forum in 2010.  Cairns has been short listed to host the event.  An announcement will be made before the end of the year and we’ll bring you the news in a future edition of In Touch with TTNQ.

JCU Symposium

Around 50 delegates gathered in Cairns last week at the second annual JCU Symposium aimed at examining the role of small to medium-sized tourism firms in a mature market.
Held at the Sofitel Reef Casino, the Symposium was designed for tourism managers, industry stakeholders and researchers.  The sessions featured keynote speakers drawn from the private and public sectors representing peak industry associations, education and business leadership.  The key purpose of the Symposium – which was organized by JCU’s Centre for Tropical Tourism & Hospitality was to provide delegates with immediate access to expert advice, commentary and cutting edge research findings. 
Among the speakers were Tourism Minister Desley Boyle, Cairns Regional Council Mayor Val Schier, and TTNQ Group Marketing Director David Rose, who outlined the changing face of the region’s tourist. David presented research showing the growing importance of the international market to TNQ’s tourism operators, as well as the relative performance of the region’s various overseas source markets.

Japan Market Update

 This update on the Japan Market was distributed last month and is attached here again for anyone who didn’t have the opportunity to read it the first time around.

Draft GST Ruling

As you may be aware, there was a draft ruling made by Australian Taxation Office this week which has some impact on tourism providers, particularly in relation to cancellations and GST.  Attached is further information on the ruling from MacDonnells Law.

Inbound Up North

Fifty members of Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) and 50 local tourism industry representatives joined the regular Friday tree planting with Conservation Volunteers Australia near Thomatis Creek last Friday.
The project was an activity of Inbound Up North which has brought 50 Inbound Tour Operators from around Australia to meet the local tourism industry and learn about the tourism experiences available for their international clients in Tropical North Queensland.
The objective of the project is to focus on environmental sustainability and for the ATEC members to give something back to the community which hosted their visit.

Food & Wine Writer in TNQ

Freelance Travel Writer Kerry Heaney spent four days in TNQ as part of a seven-day Queensland itinerary organised by Tourism Queensland writing about dining experiences.

Green Season Campaign

See the attached advertising from Virgin Blue.  This TNQ Green Season Campaign running to the end of November is really dominating the advertisement. 

TNQ Feature in CIM

Altan Mehmet, from business tourism magazine CIM tells us the magazine plans to publish a feature on TNQ in their January 2009 edition and will be contacting potential advertisers shortly.

BEA Team Australia Asia Mission

Oz Talk is the largest travel expo of its kind in New Zealand.  The expo provides a forum for up to 145 Australian Tourism Operators to showcase their products to over 200 travel agents (retailers & wholesalers) from around New Zealand and the Pacific.  There is also an opportunity for TNQ Operators to showcase their product to consumers direct through a consumer travel expo in Auckland. 

Dates for the expo and consumer event as follows;
OZTalk 2009 Travel Trade Expo: Friday 17 - Saturday 18 April 2009
OZTalk 2009 Consumer Travel Expo: Sunday 19 April 2009
If you would like to participate please register on Tourism Australia's Trade Events Website.  Applications close on Wednesday, 3rd December 2008.  If you have any further questions regarding the event please contact Jana Stankovich at jana.stankovich@tnq.org.au

Crocodile Trophy

You’ve probably been reading about the Crocodile Trophy in the Sports section of the Cairns Post.  Over 160 cyclists and crew participated the most challenging mountain bike race in the world, riding 1300km over 10 days, much of it on unsealed roads.  In addition to the local media coverage, SBS sent TV images around the world.  Cyclists crossed the finish line at Cape Tribulation last Thursday and enjoyed a post race function at Cape Tribulation Resort and Spa before heading for Ferntree Rainforest Lodge for the night.  As well as the spectacle, the race injected more than $500,000 into the local economy.

NZ Newspaper Feature on Tropical North Queensland

Following the success of the QLD newspaper supplement programme campaign released into New Zealand earlier this year, Tourism Tropical North Queensland & Tourism Queensland have secured a 16 page dedicated Tropical North Queensland supplement.  This supplement will be distributed via NZ Herald and Sunday Star Times and will directly reach 300,000 consumers across New Zealand.
The Tropical North Queensland supplement will be inserted in late March 2009 and you have the opportunity to advertise your product in this effective and targeted campaign.
In New Zealand, research and subsequent marketing activity by TTNQ and Tourism Queensland has highlighted the need for a consumer focused campaign and this programme is just the beginning of a strategy to reposition Queensland and TNQ as offering the diversity and particular standards that these savvy travellers demand.
If you are interested in participating please complete the attached New Zealand Market Newspaper Supplment Program 2009 Booking Form and return it to Tourism Queensland's office in New Zealand no later than 13 November 2008.  If you have questions contact Jana Stankovich at jana.stankovich@tnq.org.au or ph 4015 1215.

Guam

TTNQ makes the Anderson Airforce Base military news. Full article....

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

New bronze member, Cape Tribulation Exotic Fruit Farm operates a certified organic orchard which offers two ECO Certified Ecotourism products: Bed and Breakfast with two cottages adjacent to privately owned World Heritage Rainforest; and an Exotic Fruit Tasting and Farm Tour, which operates daily at 2pm.

New associate level member, Blockey Consulting provides a unique perspective on a range of critical business issues, giving independent advisory services and analysis to a variety of clients from governments and regional development bodies, to indigenous, tourism, mining and private enterprises. Jeremy Blockey has worked in economics related roles in Cairns for 20 years.