Mr WETTENHALL (17 April 2007) (11.54 am): I am pleased to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of tourism to the economy of Queensland and the far north and to acknowledge the successful partnership between industry and the Queensland Labor government in developing the Queensland Tourism Strategy. Tourism is the state's third largest export earner, generates visitor expenditure of over $18.4 billion and employs 140,000 Queenslanders. In tropical north Queensland tourism contributes $2.5 billion to the regional economy and accounts for nearly half of the region's export economy and 15 per cent of its gross regional product. Some 20,000 far-northerners work directly in tourism and a further 10,000 depend indirectly on the industry.

Last year 859,000 international visitors arrived in tropical north Queensland, with the most important source markets being Japan, the UK, the USA and Germany, and 134,000 from the rest of Europe. After Sydney, Cairns is the most popular international destination in Australia. In 2006 some 1,575,000 Aussies visited tropical north Queensland and stayed overnight, up nearly 26 per cent over 2005. They spent a total of 7,779,000 nights in tropical north Queensland, an increase of just over nine per cent over 2005. The Queensland Tourism Strategy includes a government investment of $48 million over four years, of which $14 million is new funding. Over and above those commitments, I am particularly pleased that the Beattie Labor government has contributed $2 million to a new marketing brand for tropical north Queensland.

The old ‘Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea' brand served tropical north Queensland well for a decade but has now been replaced with ‘Tropical North Queensland: Change Your Latitude'. Launched to domestic markets on 4 March this year, this new advertising campaign is based around the idea that a trip to the tropics is a life-enhancing experience and that tropical north Queensland is Australia's authentic tropical destination. Although the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest will always be key attractions, ‘Change Your Latitude' also features our other magnificent tropical landscapes including the Cairns highlands, Cape York Peninsula and gulf savannah regions.

Other initiatives that will potentially benefit the far north directly or indirectly from the initiative include $30 million for acquisition of lands of high conservation value and $5.5 million to fund the second stage of the Great Walks network. Specific Queensland Tourism Strategy initiatives include funding for the appointment of regionally based destination management officers to assist regional tourism organisations to complete investment, infrastructure and destination action plans totalling $291,000 over three years; the introduction of improved reporting tools for occupancy and patronage of tours and attractions totalling $10,000; a study into the feasibility of Cairns City Council applying a benefited area levy to raise additional funding for Tourism Tropical North Queensland totalling $20,000; a destination visitor survey in the subregions of Port Douglas/Daintree, Atherton Tablelands and Cairns and the Northern Beaches, the aim of which is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the profile, travel behaviours and satisfaction of visitors to each destination totalling $45,000; developing a regional tourism crisis management plan that will improve regional tourism organisations' ability to respond to geopolitical events, natural disasters and other risks and undertaking crisis management scenario planning to identify potential crises and appropriate responses; implementing a tourism in protected area initiative to strengthen the collaboration between industry and protected area managers; developing a ranger exchange program with Japan; a tourism park management strategy that will identify ecotourism investment opportunities in or adjacent to protected areas and analysing the economic value of high visitor use protected areas such as Barron Gorge National Park; and increasing Indigenous participation in tourism and product development through funding to complete an Indigenous tourism strategy and Cape York and Torres Strait action plan.

The ‘Change Your Latitude' campaign combined with the implementation of the Queensland Tourism Strategy could not come at a better time for the industry in tropical north Queensland and will help to meet the challenges posed by the aftermath of cyclones Larry and Monica; high fuel prices; increased competition from overseas markets such as Thailand, Fiji, Philippines, Vanuatu and Indonesia; the influences of a strong Aussie dollar; home entertainment options competing with holidays in the discretionary component of household budgets; and the actual and predicted impacts of climate change. I thank all of those who contributed to the development of the Queensland Tourism Strategy and express my confidence that the industry will grow, prosper and mature.

Time expired.