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
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