The Australian Cruise Association (ACA) announced that it will hold its 24th annual conference and AGM in Townsville, Queensland, in September 2020.

The successful bid by Townsville Enterprise Limited, Townsville City Council and the Port of Townsville was supported by Tourism Events Queensland.

Tourism Industry Development Minister, Kate Jones said Queensland’s cruise industry was growing strongly and welcomed the conference to Townsville.

“Queensland’s cruise industry is worth $1.1B to the state’s economy and to host this conference once again will ensure we have the attention of cruise line decision-makers from across Australia and around the globe,” Ms. Jones said.

The announcement was made at the final session of the 2019 ACA Conference.

Making the announcement, Jill Abel, CEO of ACA said, “We are looking forward to bringing the conference back to Queensland which is enjoying a high level of cruise visits.  It is also important for us to support Australia’s regional port network which plays an increasingly important role in the growth of the cruise tourism sector in Australia. As such, this will be the fourth year our Conference has been held outside a gateway city.”

“In the previous cruise season, 16 cruise ships visited Townsville attracting over 20,000 passengers and crew,” said Townsville Enterprise CEO, Patricia O’Callaghan.

“Having the opportunity to welcome the cruise industry to our city in 2020 will only help to raise awareness for all that Townsville has to offer and see us increase our cruise business even more.”

It is anticipated that around 120 people will attend the Conference in Townsville to be held from 9-11 September 2020.  This includes leading national and international cruise executives and representatives from the supply side of the cruise sector – shore excursion operators, port authorities, provedores, shipping agents and tour businesses. 

Commenting on the successful bid, Cr Jenny Hill, Mayor of the City of said “This is a wonderful outcome for Townsville as it will give us the opportunity to showcase our fascinating and progressive coastal city to attendees. With numerous tourism offerings such as our rich military history, diverse nature experiences and extensive events calendar, we are the perfect stop on any cruise itinerary.”

“Regional ports provide opportunities for cruise passengers to step outside the metropolitan landscape and immerse themselves in the fascinating regional experiences which make up the colourful fabric of our country.  Townsville delivers on those in spades with support from the enthusiastic community including the welcoming volunteers, transportation operators and the local businesses including retailers, cafes and tour companies. It is also a highly accessible port and passenger terminal” added Jill Abel.

The Port of Townsville CEO, Ranee Crosby said the hosting of the Conference is extremely timely for Townsville as it comes during the Port’s $193 million investment to widen the navigation channels.  “We have a very strong focus on growing cruise visits, and our channel widening project will enable us to accommodate the larger ships visiting Queensland to our world-class cruise ship terminal.”

About Australian Cruise Association:

Australian Cruise Association is the co-operative marketing brand for cruise tourism in the Australia and Pacific region and represents a diversity of interests including regional ports, international, national and state tourism agencies, shipping agents, inbound tour operators and companies dedicated to marketing the region as a world-class cruise destination.

Townsville Enterprise is excited to launch the inaugural Travel Associates People’s Choice Award for this year’s 2019 North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards, giving one lucky voter the chance to win a $500 flight voucher.

The inaugural People’s Choice Award encourages community involvement in the voting process, recognising a regional tourism experience, service or accommodation provider who exemplify excellence in their field.

Townsville Enterprise Director – Tourism & Events Lisa Woolfe said this year’s record number of award nominations are all outstanding products available in North Queensland and showcases the strength and quality of the tourism industry in our region.

“With over 60 nominations, across now 10 award categories, we’re excited to introduce the People’s Choice Award and give the public the chance to vote for their favourite North Queensland experience,” said Ms Woolfe.

“By introducing this award category we’re acknowledging the importance of the visitor experience, and how it ultimately underpins our tourism industry – so we’re excited to see who the public choose.

Ms Woolfe said the North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards was about celebrating the outstanding achievements of our region’s tourism operators, which supports almost 7,000 jobs and contributes more than $1.2 billion to the regional economy.

All nominated operators are in the running to claim the inaugural award along with their own $1,000 flight voucher, thanks to presenting partner Travel Associates.

Travel Associate’s franchise owner/manager Debbie Rains said she was proud to have the opportunity to support this new category and give back to the local tourism industry more broadly.

“Having been in operation for over 30 years ourselves, we’re excited to be able to showcase the hard work of our industry partners, particularly following the difficulties faced earlier this year,” said Ms Rains.

“We’ve been long-term supporters of Townsville Enterprise, and we felt it was a good fit to join as a first-time sponsor of this award.”

“The North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards are a time to celebrate the achievements of so many, so we encourage everyone to get involved and vote for their favourite.”

For your chance to win a $500 Travel Associates flight voucher, vote at the ‘Visit Townsville, Australia’ Facebook page.

It will take you to the page, and you click down on Contest, fill in your email & vote!

Or click on the link below. 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/visittownsvilleaustralia/app/190076381016644/?ref=page_internal

Voting for the 2019 Travel Associate’s People’s Choice Award opens Friday 30 August and closes at 5 pm on Monday 30 September 2019.

The Travel Associate’s People’s Choice category winner will be presented at the North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards on Friday 18 October 2019 at Rydges Southbank Townsville.

Tickets to the 2019 North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards are selling fast – to secure your seat, visit Townsville Enterprise Events.

Townsville will reap more rewards as part of a new five-year deal for the Supercars event at Reid Park.

Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones announced new five-year contracts for the Townsville and Gold Coast Supercars races today.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said she’s very pleased the event is now secured until 2024.

“The Supercars races are an important part of the Townsville calendar, but the promotion of our city will go to new heights as part of this contract,” Cr Hill said.

“Two teams are now linked to Townsville, so they’ll mention the city when they speak to the media.

“More importantly, these teams will share stories about the city on their social media platforms – their Facebook pages are much bigger than ours, so we’ll be reaching a much bigger audience.

“The Watpac Townsville 400 generated approximately 135,000 direct visitor nights this year – I’m confident the added promotion will drive that figure higher.”

Townsville MP Scott Stewart said the five-year extension is in the best interests of city.

“We had almost 130,000 spectators through the gates this year so we’re happy to back the Watpac Townsville 400,” Mr Stewart said.

“The Townsville and Gold Coast contract announcements secure the future of the two biggest events on the Queensland Events calendar.”

Cr Hill said Council will look for new ways to promote the Watpac Townsville 400.

“We’ve discussed potential business events with Supercars and we could look to make the most of our iconic CBD feature, Castle Hill,” Cr Hill said.

“We may look to stage a hill climb event – potentially we could have a time trial featuring Supercars to promote the 2020 Watpac Townville 400.”

The dates for the 2020 Townsville 400 will be June 26, 27 and 28.