To celebrate, next years Chinese new year street festival Cairns Regional Council has thrown full support behind next year’s Chinese New Year Street Festival to ensure it can grow into an iconic event for the region. 

The 2011 Chinese new year is the year of the Rabbit.

Mayor Val Schier said she was delighted Council today endorsed a cash grant of $20,000 for the festival and a guarantee to provide assistance and advice from Council officers experienced in events management.

“The Chinese New Year Festival has been a great success since its inception in 2004 and last year more than 10,000 visitors to the region joined in the celebrations,” said Cr Schier. “But we are certain that if we combine our expertise with the passion and knowledge of the Cairns and District Chinese Association (CADCAI), together we can grow this wonderful event into something that attracts even more visitors for other regions and internationally.”

“As Cairns is now a destination for a quickly increasing number of Chinese visitors, who are the fastest growing segment of our tourism market, this is a perfect drawcard. Last year the number of Chinese tourists to Cairns grew by 20%.”

While on a trade mission to China this month, Cr Schier met with the Ms Baiyu Chen, President of GZL, a tour company that specialises in Chinese New Year charters from the Guangzhou region. “I discussed our Chinese New Year Festival with Ms Chen and the possibility of growing interest for the event in her market.”

Cr Schier CADCAI shared the vision for the Chinese New Year Festival to become an iconic event for Far North Queensland and she was delighted that a strong community event could be assisted to grow into something spectacular.

“This is exactly the kind of thing that we are keen to support in line with the Festival and Events Grant stream,” said Cr Schier.  “It’s not only about a cash component – sometimes we can offer much-needed assistance and come up with fresh ideas and opportunities that community events have not had the resources to implement previously.

“The local Chinese community has a strong legacy in the region and Council believes that this unique event will bring social, cultural and economic benefits through providing a great celebration for locals and visitors. What better traits than this, the Year of the Rabbit with all its dynamic and artistic characteristics, to show our best face to the world?”