Rockhampton & Capricorn Coast Showcased to Tourism Trade
Posted on May 13th, 2016
Capricorn Enterprise is about to represent Capricorn & Southern Great Barrier Reef at the biggest tourism trade show in the southern hemisphere – the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE).
Travel professionals (buyers and sellers) from all over the world will descend on the Gold Coast from 15th – 19th May to learn about tourism products from across Australia.
Capricorn Enterprise, Tourism and Marketing Manager Deanne Bowd said “We have had a great interest in our region in the lead up to this event and have secured over 80 appointments with tourism trade thus far”.
Local tourism businesses also representing the region at ATE include; Capricorn Caves, The Edge Apartment Hotel, Empire Rockhampton, Great Keppel Island Hideaway, Freedom Fast Cats and Takarakka Bush Resort (Carnarvon Gorge).
“The region has also been fortunate enough to secure ‘Pre and Post Event Familiarisation Tours’. This means that a number of key international buyers will visit the region on pre-arranged tours so they can experience the products first hand. The first buyers famil tour will arrive in region today (Friday 12th May) and are from Switzerland, Germany, USA, Italy and Australia”, said Ms Bowd.
“The travel trade network is extremely complicated, and getting your product contracted for the first time can be tough. Most of us simply go online or to the travel agent to book a holiday and think nothing of it, but what most people don’t know is just what a tourism business has to go through in order to be available in these networks. They have to do sales pitches to Inbound Tour Operators, Wholesalers, and sometimes even Retail Agencies from all over the world and convince them that they should contract, package and sell their product! This all happens before a product can be sold through a Travel Agency”, said Ms Bowd.
Capricorn Enterprise has been running Tourism Trade Mentoring programs for the past 5 years in order to assist local businesses in breaking into the tourism distribution network. For more information visit www.capricornenterprise.com.au
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Friday 12 May, 7.00pm – Great Western Hotel.
For more information contact:
Deanne Bowd
Tourism & Marketing Manager
Capricorn Enterprise
P: 4927 2055 or 0432 637 311
