Queensland tourism begins Operation Recovery
Queensland tourism operators are up and running in a bid to reassure visitors that the state is open for business.
Although it could be at least a year until the industry fully recovers after the state’s devastating floods, visitors are being urged to visit non-affected areas such as the Sunshine Coast and Cairns and not to cancel bookings.
Out of 20 major airports in the state, only one is closed – Rockhampton.
“Despite the catastrophic impact, there is one indisputable fact: Queensland is where Australia shines – with heart, soul and sense of humour intact,” said a spokeswoman for Tourism Queensland.
Hotels and tour operators on the Gold Coast are busy preparing their Chinese New Year celebrations for outbound tour groups traveling from China in coming weeks.
Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter said, “Travel trade operators in China have reported strong bookings into Australia over the Chinese New Year period and we look forward to welcoming our International guests.”
Tourism Queensland is urging people to check directly with their booking agency or operator before cancelling trips as the places they are going to may not be affected.
TQ chief executive Anthony Hayes said consumers could expect to see some aggressive marketing campaigns in coming weeks.
Neil Scanlon, Accor regional general manager for Queensland, told AAP, “People think the entire tourism industry has shut down but this is far from the truth. Even Accor’s four hotels in Brisbane were not affected by the floods.”
by Ian Jarrett
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments