Tourism Tropical North Queensland hosted their Refresh, Reengage, Reconnect trade training workshop at Rydges World Square in Sydney this week, where TTNQ members and operators from Cairns were able to connect with 30 Sydney-based inbound travel agents.With the news of the first international flight arriving in Cairns on Singapore Airlines this past Monday, the event was held at an opportune time to inspire the ITOs bringing international travellers to Tropical North Queensland.
1. TTNQ Train Workshop / 2. Geoff Pilbeam, Sales & Marketing Manager at Lizard Island / 3. Daniel Leipnik, CEO of Cairns Aquarium
Among the operators that attended were:
Bad Fishy Jet Boating/Cairns Boat Hire, Cairns Adventure Group, Cairns Aquarium, Cairns Luxury Car Hire, Crystalbrook Collection, Down Under Tours, Dundee’s Restaurants, Entrada Travel Group, Experience Co., Hilton Cairns, Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside, Lizard Island, Nautilus Aviation, Northern Escape Collection, Ochre Restaurant & Catering, Pinnacle Tourism Marketing, Pullman Cairns International & Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort, Pullman Reef Hotel Casino, Quicksilver Group, Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns, Silkari Lagoons Port Douglas, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Sunlover Reef Cruises, The CaPTA Group, and The Reef House & Fitzroy Island Resort.Among the ITOs that were present were:
All Pacific Travel Concept – APTC Pty Ltd, Equity Travel, Alquemie, Kintetsu International Express, ATS Pacific, Auga Travel Service, Japan Australia Travel Service Pty Ltd, JCM Destination, JTB Australia Pty Ltd, The Tailor, Dixon Travel and Tour, Goway Travel, Nippon Travel Agency Australia Pty. Ltd, Insight Australia/Australian Geographic Travel, NLK TOURS PTY LTD, Southern World Australia, PTC Express Travel, The Travel Insiders, Southern Travelnet Pty Ltd, Sunland Holidays Ltd, Tera Nova Australia Pty Ltd, Tour East Australia, Travel Maestro Inbound Pty Ltd, Grandview Travel, and Worldstar Travel.At the end of the workshop, four lucky travel agents won door prizes worth almost $3,000 each including return airfares to Cairns on behalf of TTNQ, plus accommodation and experiences in the region sponsored by operators.Some of the latest news from the operators who attended included:Cairns Luxury Car Hire
Cairns Luxury Car Hire exclusively acquired a brand new 2022 Tesla Model 3 into its fleet. This will be the region’s first electric vehicle for hire further amplifying eco-friendly options while travelling to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. There are free charging stations at all major tourism places (Skyrail, Wildlife Habitat).Pullman Cairns International
Pullman Cairns International has completed stage one of its rejuvenation program. The first stage incorporates all guest rooms from level 3 to level 11, with an investment in excess of $10 million. The rooms’ design richly respects the hotel’s historic Cairns architectural style, whilst offering modern design features and custom-designed furnishings.Bad Fishy Jet Boating launches Cairns River Cruises
At the end of November 2021, Cairns River Cruises launched new guided tours and charters along Trinity Inlet. Revealing a new sheltered pontoon-style vessel for up to 14 guests, Cairns River Cruises offers a daytime sightseeing safari or sunset cruise along the inlet in complete comfort with lounge-style seating and uninterrupted views. The Cairns River Cruises team offers bespoke tours, with small intimate numbers, so that guests can interact with the guide and have ample room to move about the vessel, taking amazing photos of wildlife and the mountain-lined Cairns Inlet.Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas – CrocArena
Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas has launched its “Swim with the Salties” experience in the new CrocArena, giving visitors the opportunity to safely swim with saltwater crocodiles. Guests can swim centimetres away from the crocs in 180-degree clear underwater, viewing the salties at a depth of 2.3 metres.Lead image: the delegation of Cairns-based TTNQ representatives in Sydney this week for the training workshop.
