ITO Workshops 2012

Tourism Queensland CEO Anthony Hayes said the forum, run by Tourism Queensland in partnership with Qantas and with the support of the Australian Tourism Export Council, was a fantastic opportunity for the industry to showcase products and negotiate deals with international buyers. 

“We’re delighted with the response from ITOs who have come from across the country to meet face-to-face with operators, forge relationships and work together to increase Queensland’s share of the inbound travel market,” Mr Hayes said. 

“The Queensland businesses in attendance included accommodation providers, attractions and tour operators, with 14 operators attending for the first time.” 

"Today's event sparked much international interest with 38 appointments between Queensland tourism operators and ITOs and plenty of additional networking opportunities." 

Mr Hayes said the ITOs and incentive planners would regroup tomorrow to learn more about Queensland’s world-class incentive experiences. 

“Queensland is a prime destination for incentive trips with a great climate, World Heritage-listed sites, airline access, unique team building opportunities, major events, diverse food, indigenous culture and warm hospitality,” he said. 

“A new Queensland incentive brochure will be provided to the group to inspire companies and incentive planners looking for new ideas and destinations for their incentive trips, which can also be downloaded at queenslandincentives.com” 

Mr Hayes said inbound tourism was Queensland’s second largest export earner with almost two million international visitors travelling to Queensland in the year ended March 2012 and spending $3.8 billion on their trips. 

“Inbound tour operators provide a vital link in the chain to getting international visitors to the doorstep of Queensland’s tourism businesses,” he said. 

“The international markets represented at the Tourism Queensland workshop included China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the UK, Japan, Korea, Europe, India, Singapore and USA." 

Media enquiries: 
Tourism Queensland – 07 3535 5474 

Images available on request