Townsville Enterprise is pleased to advise our members that in partnership with the State Government, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), as well as our fellow North Queensland regional tourism organisations in Cairns, Mackay, and the Whitsundays, Qantas will provide flight incentives in a bid to stimulate travel back into the region post ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
From today (5 January) until 9 January, Qantas will launch a sale of up to 50% off flights to Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Proserpine and Hamilton Island, departing from key interstate and intrastate ports. The sale fares will stimulate travel between 17 Jan to 27 March.
Qantas will promote the sale to their email subscribers of over 4.5mil, via their homepage, paid social media and mobile app. TEQ has also secured full page print advertisement with News Corp’s Courier Mail, Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph, to go live on Saturday 6 January to promote the sale. This will be supported by promotion across Visit Queensland social channels and Queensland.com.
While the immediate physical impacts of the adverse weather were felt in regions further north, the Townsville North Queensland tourism industry experienced significant cancellations and reputation damage from media coverage of the weather events and the interconnectedness of the North Queensland region.
Forward accommodation occupancy for January were sitting at around 20%, with tour operators reporting almost no enquiries for the new year, evidenced by a 80-90% drop in demand. In the week prior to the cyclone hitting the coast, we were already seeing approximately $1.5M in revenue losses for our local industry.
Townsville Enterprise activity
Following today's announcement, Townsville Enterprise has swiftly implemented a number of marketing initiatives to encourage travellers to book their discounted flight to Townsville North Queensland. With activity across social media, EDM, and website, the Qantas sale fares will be promoted until 9 January 2024.
Encourage your family, friends and colleagues from across Australia, to visit Townsville North Queensland.