by Mat Churchill


China and Western Australia. Two very different tourist markets, but both were topics of discussion to come out of TPDD's controversial public meeting.

One local resident who was present at last Tuesday's meeting was curious as to why Western Australia, whose wealth has skyrocketed in recent years, wasn't a higher priority for TPDD in attracting domestic tourists.

"Why aren't they targeting Western Australia? We're in the biggest resources boom but they seem to be a secondary market. It would make sense to target them because Victorians are going to come anyway," she said.

TPDD's executive officer, Doug Ryan, said that while work has been done in the West, opportunities for Western Australians to travel overseas made coming to Port Douglas a harder sell.

"We put the Discover Paradise magazine in the Australian newspaper in W.A., we're the only LTO (Local Tourism Organisation) to do that.

"But with the Aussie dollar so high airfares to Bali are low so they'll go there for a long weekend," he said.

Online airfare deal finder, Webjet, are currently selling return flights from Perth to Bali for $350, while the cheapest return fare available from Perth to Cairns is over $400.

Western Australia's biggest export market, China, may soon become our biggest tourism market as the "sleeping giant" awakens to explore our region.

With a budget of just $500,000, dwarfed by Tourism Australia's $131 million, TPDD are choosing to work with partners who already have a presence in China.

"The China market has a massive potential," Mr Ryan said. "They make up 3% (of the visitors) in town at the moment with the majority of Chinese business coming during Chinese New Year."

"Parker Travel, who we work with, have opened an office in China and we're talking to Quicksilver all the time.

"Our money would be totally wasted over there. We are better off leveraging and supporting Quicksilver, CaPTA, Downunder, and Parker Travel," Mr Ryan said.

Mr Ryan said that Chinese tourists have quite specific needs. "They have short term stays of around three days like the Japanese market. They want to see the reef, the rainforest, and gamble."

"We have to be market ready, to have the facilities available. They want hotel rooms with breakfast, not apartments," he said.

Negotiations are continuing to secure a direct route to Cairns for China Southern Airlines.