CCIQ welcomes move to restore Queensland as Australia’s premier tourism destination
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) has today congratulated the State Government on the success of the inaugural DestinationQ Forum held in Cairns this week.
CCIQ strongly welcomes the commitment shown by the State Government to the tourism industry.
This commitment is clearly evidenced through the attendance and involvement of the Premier, the Hon. Campbell Newman MP; Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, the Hon Jann Stuckey MP; and a number of key State Government Cabinet Ministers and Assistant Ministers throughout the duration of the forum.
DestinationQ provided stakeholders with a great opportunity to discuss the challenges facing the tourism industry and to identify key actions to deliver beneficial outcomes moving forward.
CCIQ was pleased that this Forum amounted to more than just a talk fest with the signing of a 12 month Key Action Plan that the Premier has assured industry will be delivered.
CCIQ Senior Policy Analyst, Leanne Connell, attended the forum and said, “DestinationQ was not a talk fest but a forum which has a real chance of delivering outcomes to boost an industry which is the lifeblood of many regional communities and is an important regional employer."
Key actions agreed to over the coming 12 months will include:
- Lobbying the Federal Government on the need for industrial relations reform, particularly addressing the penalty rates issue;
- Cutting red tape for operators including in relation to permits, planning approval processes, liquor licensing, gaming, trading hours, noise restrictions and events;
- Developing a strategy to achieve growth in visitor expenditure to $30 billion by 2020;
- Promoting and encouraging tourism as a career pathway;
- Investigating sustainable alternative funding models for tourism development and marketing;
- Developing a partnership approach which clearly outlines the roles and KPIS of key stakeholders.
Strong expectations have emerged following the DestinationQ forum with clear accountability for all stakeholders to work together to deliver outcomes over the coming 12 months.
The Government and industry need to ensure that that commitment and momentum shown at the forum is maintained moving forward to deliver real outcomes and benefits for the struggling
industry.
CCIQ looks forward to working with the State Government, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and the tourism industry to deliver the 12 month Key Action Plan and restore Queensland to its rightful place as Australia’s premier tourism destination.