Port Douglas tourism looking to tap into Indian market
BUSINESS AND TOURISM
The region’s tourism body, Tourism Port Douglas Daintree (TPDD), is hoping a state-wide strategy will assist in boosting Indian tourism numbers to Tropical North Queensland.
The Chief Executive Officer of TPDD, Tara Bennett, said today that through its work with Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), it hoped to see this market grow.
“The Indian market is an emerging visitor segment for Douglas with small numbers currently visiting the region.
“The Port Douglas and Daintree region typically attracts honeymooners and multigenerational family groups as well as day visitors from Cairns. TPDD has been working with TEQ for many years supporting educationals. Last week we hosted two separate media groups,” said Ms Bennett.
This follows the Queensland State Government launching a new marketing campaign this month to boost Indian tourism numbers to Tropical North Queensland.
The Member for Cairns, Michael Healy, said the new initiative would include an integrated marketing campaign in India encouraging visitors to come to Tropical North Queensland via Singapore on Silk Air, which flies daily into Cairns.
“We’re investing in this campaign to bring more high-value travellers to Far North Queensland and support local jobs,” he said.
“It’s crucial that we’re active in this space, making sure that Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef is top-of-mind for Indian tourists looking to book their next holiday.
“This will coincide with the great work TEQ is doing in Queensland, bringing prominent Indian media personalities to the region later this year to maximise the success of this campaign, as well as other work TEQ and Cairns Airport are currently doing with Silk Air,” said Mr Healy.
The TPDD has already hosted Indian media and last week welcomed a group of Indian digital content creators and influencers.
“The content from their visit will be shared across paid and earned channels through Tourism Australia investments and Tourism Events Queensland’s Silk Air activity including Daily Hunt, Lonely Planet India, Scoop Whoop and The Quint.
“Visiting media reach a large targeted audience sharing engaging travel experiences, one of the most valuable marketing tools to raise destination awareness and desire to travel,” said Ms Bennett.
Tourism Industry Development Minister, Kate Jones, said 24,000 Indian tourists spent $15.8 million in Tropical North Queensland in 2018 – up from 2014 when 13,000 Indian tourists spent $8.7 million in the region.
“Singapore is a vital connection for tourists looking to travel to Queensland from the subcontinent. That’s why our partnerships with airlines with a strong presence in Singapore are so important,” Ms Jones said.
“We’ve worked very closely with tourism operators on the ground to fine tune the marketing strategy for Tropical North Queensland to make sure taxpayers get best bang for their buck with this campaign.
“We’re also investing in new tourism attractions in the region that we know will attract visitors and support local jobs and businesses in the region,” she said.
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