The Atherton Tablelands is the focus of an exciting new regional destination marketing campaign aimed at attracting the self-drive and fly-drive market to experience the rich heritage charm, outstanding natural beauty, foodie and cultural attractions of the region.

Discover Magazine, along with its new printed companion Discover Touring Map, will be launched on May 25 to Tourism Atherton Tablelands’ members at Kur-Cow in Kuranda.

Eddy Nye, chair of the local tourism organisation, said the launch would officially kick off a six-month Discover Perfect campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the Atherton Tablelands and its hero experiences.

“We have been able to build on the success of Discover magazine visitor guide, which has been the major in-print promotional publication for our region over the last three decades.

“This is an exciting and dynamic all-encompassing marketing campaign that stretches across print, TV, social media, Atherton Tablelands’ digital assets, direct mail, and publicity.”

Mr Nye said in addition to the 80,000 visitor guides that have been printed and will be distributed through visitor information centres, and major caravan and camping shows, 150,000 touring maps would also hit the market with a targeted focus on the key drive regions of Townsville and Mackay

“The Atherton Tablelands is a popular self-drive destination and we are excited to encourage those that live within one day’s drive to experience for themselves why it is so special,” Mr Nye added.

The touring map also incorporates user-friendly themed trail maps, which will be available on the Discover Atherton Tablelands app, for Apple and Android devices.

The self-drive trails combine postcard-perfect landscapes, indulgent gourmet delights, cultural and historic highpoints and stunning natural attractions.

“There are seven themed drives – Heritage, Great Outdoors, Museums and Galleries, Waterfalls and Waterways, Geological Wonders, Landscapes, and Wildlife and Food Trails. These are designed to link tourism attractions and activities across the region.

“While visitors can tailor their holiday around the types of experiences that interest them, the routes are designed to take them through the various towns and areas and introduce them to new and different activities to enjoy.”

Mr Nye said letterbox drops and in-print advertising would also be underpinned by a two-month television campaign.

Phase two of the marketing activity will also see social media advertising, a digital video showcase, and a consumer competition to win a holiday on the Atherton Tablelands. 

Mr Nye also acknowledged Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) for its support of the new initiative.

“Discover has the largest distribution of any regional visitor guide and the trails are a hit with travellers so producing the Touring Map was an obvious move,” he said.

“We are delighted with the quality of our Discover Magazine, which can also be accessed online and via the Discover App. It’s the most comprehensive, informative and engaging publication in the region, which has been the cornerstone of its success over all these years.”

The Queensland Government and TTNQ are offering job seekers the chance to get paid to work and play in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.

The Queensland Government launched the Work in Paradise campaign in Cairns today to lure workers from across Australia to take a tourism job in regional Queensland.

The $7.5 million package aims to address a critical shortage of workers at tourism businesses and will deliver a $1500 incentive for workers to keep a job and a $250 travel bonus to encourage workers to travel from outside our region for a job.

TTNQ will give eligible workers who travel more than 100km a $200 Cairns Holiday Dollar voucher to ensure they not only work hard but play hard in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.

The tourism industry in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef has been creating 60 jobs a week since tourism started booming in February, but without the international travellers and students our operators are finding it hard to meet the growing demand.

Our international travellers are missing, and our operators are struggling to meet the surge in domestic demand. This is paradise, but it is not just our world class nature that makes the difference for holidaymakers, it is the people who create the memorable experiences.

This winter we want to help the businesses that are trying to close the $2 billion gap left behind by COVID-19 and ensure they have the staff to offer the great tourism experiences that have made Cairns & Great Barrier Reef a sought after international travel destination.

The incentive applies to job seekers who start work from 20 May 2021, and will begin payments to workers from 1 July 2021. The program is open for 12 months, but applications must be made within the next six months.

Eligible jobs include bar tenders, dive masters, kitchen hands, waiters and chefs and accommodation is available at a range of share house, homes stay and hostels.

Work in Paradise will connect jobseekers with jobs and potentially provide a pathway to a long-term career in the tourism industry in your dream location.

The Queensland Government and TTNQ will run a national advertising campaign including regular news features on the regions new staff and their stories.

How you can help

We encourage all operators to share this link: Cairnsgreatbarrierreef.com/workinparadise on social media and LinkedIn to ensure workers around Australia know Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is the place to work and play. We also need you to share the stories of your new employees with TTNQ so we can publicise them, and please encourage others to get involved.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ), together with the Queensland Government, is excited to launch a major tourism campaign designed to encourage Queenslanders to explore the best of Cairns & Great Barrier Reef. The campaign aims to encourage more Queenslanders to travel to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, extend their stay and get out and experience the diverse tours and attractions we have to offer.  The campaign will run from 15 March to 25 June 2021. 

15,000 vouchers worth up to $200.00 (inc. GST) available for Queenslanders travelling to the Tropical North Queensland region.  The voucher covers 50% of the cost, up to a maximum value of $200.00.  Visitors can only claim one voucher per person over 18 years, and they’re not transferable.

Registration to enter closed 12 pm 11th March 2021

Operator registration to be part of Cairns Holiday Dollars has now closed. 

Links for Operators

The Voucher Redemption Portal is now live and all participating operators should have received their login details – if you haven’t received yours please contact operatorsupport@queensland.com

Reimbursement from TEQ for the value of the voucher can occur as soon as the consumer has travelled with you. There is no need for you to create an invoice for TEQ to pay you. Simply mark the voucher as ‘consumed’ in the Redemption Portal and then click ‘invoice’ to automatically generate an invoice for TEQ to reimburse you. The process is outlined in more detail in the operator handbook (see page 20).

Notice of the Annual General Meeting
Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd

This is to advise you of the upcoming annual general meeting of the members of Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Limited.

The details of this meeting are as follows:

Date:     Wednesday 16th December, 2020
Time:     10:00 am
Place:    Tinaroo Lake Resort

The business of the Annual General Meeting will include:

1. Minutes of previous meeting
2. Chairman report
3. Financial report
4. Appointment of auditor
5. Election of Directors

At the meeting, members will have the opportunity to:

• speak about any items on the agenda
• vote on any resolutions proposed.

At the meeting, members will be asked to vote to reappoint the auditor.

Director Nominations

Nominations need to be lodged with the secretary by Wednesday 2nd December 2020.

Nominations will be called for two (2) positions vacant:

• Zone 1 Northern Tablelands described as the area that sits within the boundaries of Mareeba Shire Council
• Zone 5 Atherton Tablelands gateways defined as the area outside the boundaries of Tablelands Regional Council and Mareeba Shire Council

Appointment of a Proxy

A member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting, may appoint a representative. If you wish to appoint a person as your representative, please download, complete and return the Proxy Form.

The Notice of Nomination form must be received by the Company Secretary at the address shown no later than 48 hours before the meeting, being 10 am Monday 14th December, 2020.

Downloads

• Agenda for the 2020 meeting
• Minutes of the 2019 AGM
• Proxy form
• Nomination Form 
• Draft Audited Financial Statements

Tourism Atherton Tablelands is continuing to push ahead with its successful destination awareness campaigns for the region following the announcement  Tablelands and Mareeba local government councils had decided to pursue their own destination marketing arrangements.

Eddy Nye, chair of Tourism Atherton Tablelands (TAT), said it was business as usual and the local tourism organisation was about to kick off several exciting projects to lure visitors over the next year and beyond.

The announcement earlier this week (October 22) that Mareeba Shire Council and Tablelands Regional Council would pursue their own destination marketing arrangements follows a three-month tender process.

“Naturally, we are disappointed that Tourism Atherton Tablelands will not receive the annual contribution of $25,000 from Tablelands Regional Council and $25,000 from Mareeba Shire Council for destination marketing,” Mr Nye said.

“However, we will continue to engage and be the voice of the Atherton Tablelands tourism industry, working in partnership with our regional tourism body, TTNQ.

“We will also continue to work with both councils to ascertain what destination marketing activities they will each be undertaking on behalf of tourism operators in their respective areas, how this will benefit the region and how the organisation can support their efforts in this space.”

Mr Nye said TAT had sought and received external funding for a number of exciting projects, including a digital showcase of regional tourism operators, experiences and local communities.

“We will continue to work with our members to deliver innovative social media and traditional promotional campaigns that support our industry,” he said.

“We thank our members for their continued support and we remain very positive for the future.  We know the industry and work closely with regional TTNQ, leveraging opportunities through its networks.”

Mr Nye said Tourism Atherton Tablelands was an energetic and forward thinking organisation. Recent successful initiatives included the new destination brand, the Atherton Tablelands’ Discover Perfect campaign, a new website with enhanced digital features, product brochures and a concierge service.

Tourism Atherton Tablelands was introduced earlier this year as the new brand for the corporate arm of Discover Atherton Tablelands. The bold move away from ‘Tropical Tablelands Tourism’ was designed to better align with the destination brand and other tourism organisations in the wider region.

About Tourism Atherton Tablelands:

• Members of the organisation are elected by members to the Tourism Atherton Tablelands Board of Directors for their experience, tourism industry background and passion for the industry. The board’s primary role is to set the strategic direction of destination marketing that benefits members and the wider community.
• Atherton Tablelands Promotion Bureau Ltd was established in 1986 under the auspice of the former four local government authorities governing the geographic region of the Atherton Tablelands.
• Since incorporation, the Bureau has evolved by encouraging the private sector to participate in, and be responsible for, the ongoing need to promote and market the region, enhance product offerings, increase visitor numbers and length of stay, and overall positive, visitor experience.

For more information on the organisation, visit tourism.athertontablelands.com.au.