Sunshine Coast to host key tourism industry events

Tourism industry leaders will gather on the Sunshine Coast this November for three key tourism events – The Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s Indigenous Tourism Forum, the annual DestinationQ Forum and the Queensland Tourism Awards gala ceremony.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones today confirmed the DestinationQ Forum and tourism masterclasses would run from 7 to 8 November 2019 at Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast.

The forum will again be held alongside QTIC’s Indigenous Employment Forum on 6 November 2019 and the Queensland Tourism Awards gala ceremony on the evening of 8 November 2019.

Together, these events represent the largest tourism industry gathering in Queensland and the third year these events have been scheduled in the same week.

“Combined these events will bring more than 600 people visitors to the Sunshine Coast. This is a great win for the local tourism industry,” she said.

“To have the tourism industry’s biggest players all on the Sunshine Coast at the same time is important.

“This will give us an opportunity to consult the best in the business about new strategies to grow this sector in the future.

“With the new $8 million Convention Centre at Novotel Twin Waters Resort due to open in May 2019, it’s a perfect time for the DestinationQ Forum to return to the Sunshine Coast.”

This year’s event will be the eighth DestinationQ Forum and the second time the event has been held on the Sunshine Coast. The Forum was last held on the Sunshine Coast in 2014.

“The Sunshine Coast tourism industry has grown from strength to strength under the Palaszczuk Government,” Ms Jones said.

“In 2014, the Sunshine Coast tourism industry was worth $2.2 billion  and supported 22,300 jobs. In the three years to 2017, we’ve created 900 tourism jobs on the Coast and seen this sector grow by $270million.

“We’ve also seen growth in visitor numbers with 111,000 tourists coming to the Sunshine Coast in the year ending September  2018 – that’s 23,000 more than in the same period in 2014.

“We’re committed to investing in major events like the se and working with the local tourism industry to ensure these numbers grow in the future.”

The DestinationQ Forum program, speakers and registration details will be released in the coming months. See www.destq.com.au for further information.

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