Thursday 17 February 2011

Tourism Queensland has launched a five-year global incentive travel strategy aimed at putting Queensland on the map as one of the world's top travel destinations.

Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said the strategy was launched at the Asia Pacific Incentive Meetings and Events (AIME) convention in Melbourne to an audience of the world's top incentive travel planners.

AIME is the premier 'meetings and incentives' event in the Asia-Pacific region and draws event planners from around the world to discover the latest ideas, network and do business.

"Incentive travel is one of the most lucrative travel markets, based in unique and luxury experiences that are used as rewards for companies' top performing staff," Mr Lawlor said.

"In the year ended September 2010, 1.7 million Australian and international visitors undertook an incentive experience in Australia, spending over $1 billion.

"Of these, 830,000 spent at least one night on their incentive trip with international incentive visitors spending an average $249 per night and domestic incentive visitors spending an average of $229 per night.

"Thirty-five percent of these overnight visitors came to Queensland so the incentive market is a significant and lucrative market."

Mr Lawlor said Tourism Queensland was partnering with Queensland's convention bureaus on a collaborative global incentive strategy which aimed to position Queensland as the Asia Pacific's leading incentive destination.

By launching the new strategy, which includes a dedicated incentive website - www.queenslandincentives.com - which features experiences, destinations, and contacts, Tourism Queensland hopes to secure a larger chunk of the lucrative market. 

The website will also be produced in six languages - English, Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), Japanese, Korean and German.

"AIME is the perfect place to launch Tourism Queensland's new strategy so these planners can return home with some new contacts and ideas to start pitching Queensland to their incentive clients.

"As the world climbs out of the global financial crisis, companies will be looking at new ways to incentivise their staff and we want to make sure Queensland is at the forefront of their minds.

"Queensland is a prime destination for incentive hosts - our untouched reefs, unspoilt islands, pristine beaches, rainforests, ancient landforms and unique wildlife that makes our state an easy destination to sell."

Mr Lawlor said the strategy aimed to increase incentive houses' and companies' knowledge of Queensland's unique destinations and experiences.

"This five-year collaborative strategy will enhance the great work that is already being done by the state's convention bureaus to promote Queensland," he said.

"Now that Queensland's tourism destinations are recovering from the impacts of the floods and cyclone, it's the perfect time to launch this strategy and show the world that Queensland continues to be one of the world's premier destinations and confidence in our tourism industry.

"This is a long-term approach, particularly aimed at convincing international companies that Queensland is where Australia shines for incentive travel."