$194 million hit to Far Northern tourism
THE tourism industry took a $194 million hit last year with international visitors to the Far North falling by 106,000 to 651,000.
The region’s 14 per cent drop was the biggest in Queensland, the 2009 International Visitor Survey revealed yesterday.
The figures include holidaymakers, those visiting family or friends, and those on business, education and work visits.
Spending by visitors crashed by $194 million to $813 million, a 19 per cent decrease.
Overseas visitors to Queensland topped 1.97 million, down 4 per cent (83,000) and expenditure fell $168 million to $3.8 billion. But Brisbane and the Gold Coast saw an international boost of 2 per cent.
Tourism leaders believe the downturn has hit the bottom and the industry is poised for a comeback.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Rob Giason said the start of new flights, especially the direct Jetstar Osaka-Cairns services from April 1, and new Pacific Blue flights from Auckland in the next couple of weeks, would clawback the fall in the Japanese and New Zealand markets.
"We anticipate picking up a lot of ground we’ve lost in the next 12 months," he said.
Mr Giason said the survey revealed the full 12 month impact of the loss in Japanese customers, down 45 per cent to 89,000, since the direct flights were cancelled late in 2008.
Mr Giason said an upside was the boost in Chinese numbers which totalled 41,000, a 41 per cent rise.
"That’s not taking into account the Chinese New Year. These extra passengers are a result of a lot of hard work in the Chinese market and without a direct service either," Mr Giason.
He said backpackers were up 3 per cent to 224,000, French numbers were up 32 per cent to 25,000 while the UK (121,000) and the US (83,000) were holding their own.
Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said the Chinese were the shining light with 153,000 visitors to the state.
Mr Lawlor said the Far North was hit hardest by the decline in the Japanese market, because of the reduction in direct flights, the GFC and swine flu.
But with Jetstar reinstating the Osaka flights to Cairns as well as a combined airport, regional and state tourism marketing effort, there was confidence in the future of the Japan market.
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