CAIRNS TAKES CENTRE STAGE FOR TOP ASIAN BUYERS

Queensland will welcome 100 of Asia’s top tourism buyers next month for a 10-day trade event in Cairns, Tourism Minister Margaret Keech announced today.

Mrs Keech said a series of workshops for the international travel trade representatives on Friday, 13 October would showcase around 50 Queensland tourism products and services.

“Queensland on Stage Asia 2006 is an opportunity to put Queensland well and truly on the centre stage for some of the most influential and powerful product managers and buyers in seven key Asian markets,” she said.

“Fifty diverse Queensland products and services will have the opportunity to inform and inspire these buyers who are wanting to increase their knowledge of the region, source new products and experiences for their clients, and develop productive and positive business relationships from the event.

“A further 100 operators will be involved in supporting the extensive familiarisation program purposefully designed for the delegates before and after the workshops.”

Mrs Keech said the senior product managers and front-line sellers will be travelling from Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and Korea.

“Visitors from these seven countries combined represented 36.9 per cent of all our international visitors to Queensland in the year ending 2006.

“In the same period, they spent more than 9.9 million visitor nights in the state.

“This is a significant portion of our international market and so the potential to grow it even further is huge.”

The Beattie Government though Tourism Queensland, in conjunction with Tourism Tropical North Queensland, will be hosting a variety of famils before and after the workshops for the representatives.

“These will focus on Tropical North Queensland with visits arranged to the Great Barrier Reef, Cape Tribulation and other popular attractions in the region,” Mrs Keech said.

“Some of the delegates will also be visiting the Gold Coast and Brisbane as part of the familiarisation program.

“It is designed to allow delegates to step out of the conference room and experience first-hand the natural beauty and wonder of some of our best Queensland destinations and experiences,” Mrs Keech said.

The workshops will be held on Friday,13^th of October at the Sofitel Reef Casino in Cairns, from 8.30 - 5.30pm.

Media Contact: David Smith 3225 1005 or Louise Yates (TQ) 3535 5349