The region’s tourism body has received a boost after Douglas Shire Council committed $1.35 million into the organisation over the next three years at an Ordinary Council Meeting today.

Council endorsed Tourism Port Douglas Daintree’s (TPDD) strategies to lead the region’s tourism sector into the future by entering into a new Resource and Performance Agreement.

The agreement will see TPDD receive the amount of $400,000 (ex GST) in year 2021/2022, $450,000 (ex GST) in year 2022/2023, and $500,000 (ex GST) in year 2023/2024.

It comes as the current one year Resource and Performance Agreement expires on 30 June 2021.

The new agreement amount is closer to what TPDD had received in previous years after their funding was almost halved last year to $250,000 due to a budget crackdown during the height of the pandemic.

With international borders remaining closed until at least mid-2022, the path to the tourism economic recovery for the region relies on repositioning the region as a destination of choice for domestic travellers.

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Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said TPDD was well poised to cut through a cluttered domestic tourism market.

“Today we are backing our tourism sector when they need it most and rewarding TPDD for their impressive plan to continue bringing people into our region,” he said.

“Through COVID our region has emerged as one of the most affected in Queensland with a loss of almost 1,000 jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars lost from the local economy and the rise of key challenges such as workforce shortages, lack of available housing and low tour bookings.

“In 2021, we have seen more high-value travellers and self-drive visitors re-discover their hunger for our region, as well as the return of Port Douglas Carnivale and new sporting events such as the recent Olympic triathlon events in Port Douglas.

“Events generate tourism for the region, showcasing our destination and allowing us to share our story with a wider diverse audience.”

TPDD plans to increase activities in the events market, focusing on those that take advantage of our unique tropical lifestyle, food and culture. An estimated 37,000+ people attended significant events in the Port Douglas Daintree region during 2019.

Events in Port Douglas Daintree attract a significant number of visitors from Victoria (10% Melbourne, 8% regional Victoria) and NSW (10% Sydney, 7% regional NSW), followed by 15% from Tropical North Queensland and international visitors represent 13% of attendees.

Forward bookings, particularly in the High-Value Traveller segment, continues to outperform pre-COVID numbers.

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ ) has identified such visitors as High-Value Travellers (HVT’s) who engage in domestic leisure travel, spend more than the average traveller on leisure trips, and are aligned to experiences offered in Queensland.

The development and delivery of a Destination Tourism Plan, Events, Brand, and Digital strategies has afforded TPDD a clear view of the activities required to achieve greater market share and cut through.

TPDD Chairman Cam Charlton said the increased funding would help the organisation continue to position the region as the world’s leading sustainable eco-luxury destination and promote its inspirational experiences.

“We will continue to support the development of new visitor experiences and work closely with Douglas Shire Council to secure additional regional events, to be strategically scheduled during shoulder and low seasons to reduce the impact of seasonality,” he said.

“We are passionate about ensuring our visitors leave the region revitalised and rejuvenated, really bringing home the “See Great, Leave Greater” message that is resonating for the entire TNQ region.

“We are very grateful for the excellent partnership TPDD has with Douglas Shire Council and we sincerely thank them for backing our strategy and vision for the region.”