EO Update

Message from Executive Officer

This month has been an exciting time of collaboration and progress. On March 12, TPDD and TTNQ hosted a workshop to provide an update on the tourism industry and workshop key priorities for the region's Destination Management Plan and strategic direction.

During this session, industry partners collectively agreed to back the request for a business case/feasibility study for the Port Douglas South Waterfront Precinct Project, identified as the hero catalytic project for the federal election campaign. This initiative focuses on marine industry development, marine tourism growth and job creation. Further details on this project can be found in the newsletter.

On March 5, we held our TPDD board meeting and 2025 strategic planning session, facilitated by Pete Faulkner of Conus. This session provided an excellent opportunity to focus on sustainable growth priorities and strategic vision to 2029. It was also a chance to celebrate important leadership changes as we officially welcomed Rosie Douglas as our new Chair and farewelled Cam Charlton, thanking him for his invaluable contributions to TPDD.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at the Experience Showcase held at Oaks Hotels Port Douglas Resort. With 25 operators presenting to over 160 attendees, the evening was a wonderful success, celebrating the diversity of experiences that make our region so unique. A special mention to Paul Perrant and the team at Oaks for their incredible hospitality.

I’m pleased to share that Discover Paradise has been finalised and sent off to the printers! This key publication highlights the best of our region and will be featured in the Australian Financial Review on March 29.

We’re also excited to launch the new Experience Guide, a stunning resource showcasing the best of the Port Douglas and Daintree region. This guide is a great tool to promote our destination, and I encourage you to include it in your communications.

Additionally, you can view the January/February activity report for TPDD here for a detailed summary of our recent work.

On the trade front, I had the privilege of presenting at an ANZCRO webinar last week, where I spoke to hundreds of North American agents about the unique offerings of our region. Meanwhile, Michela was in New Zealand earlier this week showcasing our region for the Distribution Development Weekend New Zealand 2025 to drive visitation to coincide with the new Jetstar Christchurch-Cairns direct service launching in April. With trade engagement continuing to be a key focus as we work to stimulate increased international visitation, I also recently hosted agents from Southern Crossings in Port Douglas.

Adding to the activity, I attended Destination Australia in Sydney this week together with the RTO Forum, both hosted by Tourism Australia with some fantastic takeaways to share with industry which I will summarise and distribute shortly.

Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the TODAY Show activity planned for next week given current weather forecasts by senior BOM meteorologists which will bring persistent heavy rain throughout the week and monsoonal conditions towards the end of next week. The TODAY Show activity will be postponed to May. Stay informed on the Douglas Dashboard and on Douglas Shire Council Facebook Page for weather related alerts.

We know it's been a tough start to the year - occupancy certainly reflects this, however brighter times are coming. As we look towards Easter future online occupancy is tracking above 2023, and there is a healthy outlook for the winter months. Efforts will now turn to extending the shoulder season of September to December as well as capitalising on driving May and June visitation. Thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration as we work together to achieve meaningful outcomes for the industry and community.

Have a wonderful weekend ahead,

Emma