DestinationQ in Townsville
Posted on October 14th, 2015
Now in its fourth very successful year, DestinationQ, the annual state tourism forum was held in Townsville last week. I was joined by great advocates from right across our Capricorn region in Mayor Bill Ludwig and James Gallagher from LSC, Ann Augusteyn and Amanda Jennings-Hinton from Capricorn Caves, Sarah Reeves from RRC and Sandra Hobbs from CHDC.
Each year, State Government Ministers report back to Industry which is received exceptionally well. Following an address from the Premier, this year, the Industry Leaders and Ministerial Panel consisted of:
- The Hon. Kate Jones MP, Minister for Education and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and Commonwealth Games
- The Hon. Jackie Trad MP, Deputy Premier, Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure Local Government and Planning and Minister for Trade
- The Hon. Curtis Pitt MP, Treasurer, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships
- The Hon. Steven Miles MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection and Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef
- The Hon. Mark Bailey MP, Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy and Water Supply
- The Hon. Coralee O’Rourke MP, Minister for Disability Services, Minister for Seniors and Minister Assisting the Premier on North Queensland
- Mr Shane O’Reilly, Chair, Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC)
- Bob East, Chair, Tourism and Events Queensland(TEQ)
DQ 2012 in Cairns resulted in 6 themes, a Partnership Agreement between Government and Industry with a twelve month action plan, which achieved incredible results.
DQ 2013 on the Gold Coast resulted in a 20 Year Tourism Plan and a Destination Success action plan which set the scene for the decades to come.
DQ 2014 on the Sunshine Coast resulted in Individual and Collective Industry commitments which focussed on the voice of the customer, the voice of the operator, Industry lifecycle and Destination Best Practice.
DQ 2015 in Townsville focussed on advancing on the good work that Industry and Government have achieved to date, with a commitment to grow tourism and grow jobs.
This year’s DQ theme “Invest, Excel and Grow” focussed on a partnership in which government and industry will:
- Invest time, money and effort in meeting the expectations of visitors
- Excel in delivering exceptional experiences
- Grow jobs in the tourism industry, boost visitor expenditure and lift profitability of tourism businesses.
Achievements in the DestinationQ industry journey have laid a strong foundation for growth and significant momentum for achieving our stretch goal to increase visitor expenditure to $30 billion by 2020.
We know that travellers want to visit Australia, but bookings (conversion) are much lower – this presents an opportunity for growth. To influence conversion, we heard about the latest research (from Fiftyfive-5); to help us understand what travellers want in a holiday and how Queensland compares. We heard from TripAdvisor about what travellers are saying about their holiday experience in Queensland, its destinations, accommodation and attractions.
Travellers are influenced in their holiday decisions at all stages of the holiday planning cycle – dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing and advocating. We need to understand what we can do at all stages to win customers.
The visitor experience at all touchpoints of their journey matters – from the online experience when they plan their holiday to sharing on social media with family, friends and the world.
Delivering a quality experience and exceeding visitor expectations at all touchpoints will position Queensland to deliver on its promise and move from good to great to one of a kind – winning customers and growing tourism and jobs.
To view more information go to https://www.destq.com.au/industry/annual-forums/2015
Until next time…..
Mary Carroll CEO Capricorn Enterprise
