Our achievements for 2023/24
Posted on June 14th, 2024
A snapshot of our achievements for the 2023/24 financial year include:
Business Support
- Hosted our Annual Major Projects & Industry Forum with 13 speakers, 3 sessions (Regional Futures & Projects, Health & Education, Energy) and 135 people
- Hosted (in partnership with Capricornia Chamber of Commerce) the 2023 Best in Business Awards – 8 categories, 80 nominations, 4 Independent judges, 230 guests
- Commissioned an Economic Impact assessment of Great Keppel Island
- Continued advocating for funding support for Great Keppel Island the with strong advocacy participation in the Great Keppel Island Master Plan Project Reference Group over two years.
- Provided over 275 hours of advisory services to facilitate customer and community participation in Energy Queensland’s 2025-30 Regulatory Determinations
- Hosted 7 Members Networking Nights with 395 attendees
- Provided 25 Letters of Support to community groups, Council and partners for funding projects
- Capricorn Enterprise is a Member of 16 Associations
- Capricorn Enterprise has representation on 8 advisory groups and committees on behalf of our broad membership base.
- Assisted two industry operators to become Eco certified and conducted the Eco-Biz and Strive for Sustainability scorecard for the Capricorn Coast VIC.
- As part of the SGBR Agri-Tourism Business Mentoring Program, participated in anSGBR Agri Tourism study tour to Tasmania with key industry operators
- Provided PR support for the official openings of Crimson Finch Brewery, KBM playground, Reef Distillers, Funtastic Kraken, The Station Yeppoon, Ambrym Estate and re-launches of Kinka Palms Motel, Seaspray Units
- Panelist at Bush Summit Conference, Rockhampton “Outlook for Regional Queensland”
- Encouraged and supported operators in meeting criteria to be included in the 2024 Best of Queensland Experiences Program (59 BOQ local operators with an average Review Pro GRI score of 88.4, increased by .8 compared to 2023. 14 operators achieved a perfect score of 100/100)
- Participated in Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s Regional Tourism Careers Roadshow, hosted a QTIC industry breakfast and hosted an in region famil.
- Supported 11 operators to participate in the Tourism Trade Mentoring Program 2024 Pathway to ATE (Australian Tourism Exchange).
- Managed 52 ATDW listings (events, localities, free attractions) across the destination (nb: 20 ATDW listings transferred to CHDC for new Queensland Country region)
- Reviewed and recommended 9 QDEP (Queensland Destination Events Program) funding applications, with 5 approved for a total of $150,000 funding from Tourism and Events Queensland
- Supported our industry operators to obtain funding in the Year of Accessibility; 6 Access Starter Grants, 2 Access Project Grants, 5 Boosting Access Tourism Experiences Grants
- Supported two operators to participate in Tourism and Event’s Queensland’s Transformational Experiences Mentoring Program (TEMP)
- Agri tourism development support in partnership with Livingstone Shire Council (Capricorn Coast)
- Attended Tourism Australia’s 2024 Destination Australia conference.
- Attended Tourism Week in Cairns (Destination IQ, Destination Q, Qld Tourism Awards)
- Participated inTEQ’s Mega Business Planning Week
Visitor Servicing
- The Capricorn region, including the three precincts of Capricorn Coast, Rockhampton region and Central Queensland Highlands, welcomed 1,136,000 domestic and international visitors who stayed 3,989,000 nights to the year ending December 2023. This represented a 4.4% three year trend change in visitor growth. Visitor Expenditure of $814 Million to the year ending December 2023 represented a 17.5% three year trend change in growth. Source: Tourism Research Australia NVS
Nb: As the Central Queensland Highlands transition to a new regional tourism boundary of “Queensland Country” which will also include Southern Queensland Country, going forward our statistical reporting will represent the Capricorn Coast region (LSC and RRC LGA boundaries).
- We own and operate the Accredited Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre in Yeppoon, open 7 days a week which greeted some 18,500 visitors through its doors and answered over 1,500 phone enquiries
- Planned, developed, and designed the destination 2024/25 Visitor and Lifestyle Guide – the primary piece of marketing collateral produced by Capricorn Enterprise (20 additional pages and 84 advertisements).
- Qld Tourism Awards – Capricorn Coast volunteer Bev Gilligan (35 years of service) receives Bronze Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer
Destination Marketing
- Worked in partnership with Livingstone Shire Council to help achieve Capricorn Coast Eco Destination Accreditation with Eco Tourism Australia by June 2024.
- Commissioned and hosted television shows including Ch 9’s Getaway (2 stories), Ch 7’s Queensland Weekender (2 stories), Ch 10’s Fishing With ET, Ch 9’s My Way (filmed 6 stories, with 2 airing so far), Ch 9’s Today Show live weather crosses, Ch 7’s Weekend Sunrise live weather crosses
- Dig The Tropic Contestable project (in partnership with OQTA and CHDC) – tv, social media, website
- Partnered with Tourism and Events Qld (TEQ) and Tourism Australia (TA) to host 10 key international Aussie Specialist trade from UK, France and Italy following G’Day Australia in Cairns
- Australian Traveller – winter campaign “100 emerging destinations” featuring Great Keppel Island – 2,693 unique visitors to on-line article and 204 click throughs to operators
- Hosted 6 international and domestic tourism trade partner famils – My Dream Adventures (ITO French/Spanish) famil, GALTA Board famil, Tourism & Events Qld famil, Pre-ATE famil – House of Travel NZ, Post-ATE famil – Pacific Travel House, Germany and Helloworld Mne, Goway ITO.
- Attended the ATEC (Australian Tourism Export Council) Queensland Showcase in Sydney with new to trade industry operators, providing an opportunity to meet with key industry partners, wholesalers, and inbound tour operators in Sydney.
- Attended on behalf of our Southern Great Barrier Reef partners to represent at Tourism and Events Queensland “Queensland is Calling” roadshow to UK and Europe
- Attended the International Media Marketplace (IMM) preceding ATE24 on Sunday 19th May
- Attended the 44th edition of the Australian Tourism Exchange from 20th to 23rd May 2024.
- Collaborated with our Southern Great Barrier Reef partners to be represented at ATEC Meeting Place in Cairns
- Collaborated with our Southern Great Barrier Reef partners to be represented at Tourism Australia’s (TA) G’Day Australia in Cairns
- Collaborated with our SGBR partners to be represented at Qld is Calling New Zealand with TEQ, which presented to key agents and media.
- Updated a media kit and information for Tourism and Events Queensland to share at the Queensland Showcase and International Media Marketplace (IMM) at ATE24.
- Developed and distributed over 143 PR content pieces for local media and online platforms
- As a member of the Australian Cruise Association (ACA) ensuring our destination remains front of mind for major cruise line companies, attended the ACA conference in Woollongong, then hosted 2 cruise ground handling companies on famils – Intercruises and Shorex Australia
- Developed and distributed a 2024 Master Event Calendar, including significant date claimers with potential to enhance the destination on a major scale and increase visitation.
- Provided event support and promotion via online platforms including social media, TravMedia, https://whatson.visitcapricorn.com.au/and https://livecapricorncoast.com.au/events/whats-on
- Partnered with our fellow Queensland Regional Tourism Network partners, Tourism and Events Queensland, Drive Queensland and Caravanning Queensland to promote our state and destinations to southern visitors at six (6) 2023/24 Caravan and Camping Shows and 4×4 Outdoor Shows in SA, VIC, NSW and QLD. Volunteer representation from the Capricorn Coast VIC attended the Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Townsville and Brisbane.
- Attended theTrade Travel Expo in Sydney to promote our destination coach tours
- Continued our successful partnership with Caravan Parks Association of Queensland
- BEEF24 – conducted AI campaign to promote Capricorn Coast and Rockhampton “Stay a Little Longer” campaign resulting in 1.3M impressions and 1.2k campaign page visits,20,000 additional destination guides distributed
- Invested significantly in and supported operators to participate in Tourism and Events Queensland’s Global ‘Bluey’ campaign.
Leisure website and social channels (results to end of May, prior to campaign activity in June 2024)
- Received 118,000 unique visits to our regional tourism destination site www.visitcapricorn.com.au
- Received 8,000 unique visits to www.livecapricorncoast.com.au (includes Rockhampton region) – a one stop liveability platform – jobs, education, health, events, real estate, community groups, visitor information and much more
- Received 8,000 unique visits towww.tastecapricorncoast.com.au platform – Capricorn Coast Food Trail project in partnership with LSC, an Australian Bushfire Recovery Initiative (also linked within the livecapricorncoast site)
- Managed and promoted 6 leisure social media channels (results to end of May 2024)
- FACEBOOK (Visit Capricorn leisure) –25K followers, Total reach 4.92 Million
- FACEBOOK (Southern Great Barrier Reef) – 47K followers, Total reach 2.65 Million
- FACEBOOK (Taste Capricorn Coast) –2.8K followers, Total reach 134K
- INSTAGRAM (Visit Capricorn leisure) – 13K followers, Total reach 351K
- INSTAGRAM (Southern Great Barrier Reef) –42K followers, Total reach 666K
- INSTAGRAM (Taste Capricorn Coast) – 973 followers, Total reach 37K
- YOUTUBE (Visit Capricorn) – Total views since 1st July 2023 – 9,421
Corporate website and leisure channels:
- Received approx 47,000 unique visits to our corporate site www.capricornenteprise.com.au
- Received 6,000 unique visits to our jobs sitewww.workincentralqueensland.com.au platform – (also linked within the livecapricorncoast site)
- FACEBOOK (Capricorn Enterprise) – 5.2K followers
- FACEBOOK (Work in Central Queensland) – 794 followers
- FACEBOOK (Support Local Buy Local) – 6,713 followers
