Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) has beaten destinations around Australia to secure an international business event that is expected to inject A$11.68m (US$7.51m) into the Cairns regional economy.
TTNQ chief executive officer Mark Olsen announced that Amway Korea would bring around 2,700 delegates to Cairns in 2025 arriving from across the Asia-Pacific region in six waves from 17 November to 9 December.
“This event is an incentive rewarding Amway’s top performers, with each wave of delegates doing three full days of touring and at least two offsite events as well as opportunities to explore Cairns at leisure,” he said.
“International incentive groups are the highest-yielding market in tourism with an average spend of A$1,000 per delegate per day compared to A$735 for other international business events.
“As well as spending more, incentive delegates tend to stay longer, and we are confident many will extend their stay with their family to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the world’s oldest rainforest.
“The timing of the event is particularly good for Tropical North Queensland as it comes in one of the quieter periods of the year and will be a welcome boost ahead of the festive season.
“This incentive was highly sought after around Australia, but the Cairns business events industry’s proven ability with the 6,000-strong Amway China incentive in 2018 helped to secure the business on the initial site visit with the team from Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.”
The announces comes soon after Cairns hosted Australia Next in September.
“Financial incentives are also critical to securing competitive events like these and TTNQ used Cairns Regional Council funding as part of our bid which was also supported by funding from Tourism Australia and Tourism and Events Queensland,” Olsen added.
Cairns Mayor Amy Eden said it was a tremendous win for Cairns that would showcase the region’s capacity to host world-class events that drive significant economic benefits.
“Welcoming Amway Korea’s top performers to our city is a testament to the appeal of our natural wonders, business infrastructure, and vibrant tourism offerings,” she said.
Tourism Australia’s managing director Phillipa Harrison congratulated Tourism Tropical North Queensland on successfully securing the bid win.
“Business events such as corporate incentives are incredibly important to Australia’s visitor economy, and we are so pleased to be supporting Tourism Tropical North Queensland to secure this latest win through our Bid Fund programme,” Ms Harrison said.
Photo, L-R: Queensland legislator Bree James, Mayor Amy Eden, Mark Olsen
