Port Leads Way In US At Australian Marketplace

PORT DOUGLAS, Australia - March 31, 2015 - PRLog -- Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree (TPDD) executive officer Tara Bennett said Australian Marketplace, which was held over the weekend in Los Angeles, was proving highly successful for the Douglas based businesses in attendance.

“It has been a busy time for us at Australian Marketplace and so far TPDD alone has had 69 appointments over two days with 43 wholesalers and 36 premier Aussie specialists.”

Ms Bennett said she was overwhelmed by the support from local operators. “In total there are 69 companies from Australia including 10 from the Port Douglas Daintree region,” she added.

Ms Bennett believed it was an opportune time to visit the ‘States’ particularly with the falling Aussie dollar.

“The US is a growth market at present, second after New Zealand for our inbound market. A positive economic outlook coupled with a strong US dollar means the market is forecast to continue to grow.

“The North American travel trade are very loyal to our region. Most appointments told me that they send 90% of their visitors to Australia to our region.

“It is wonderful to sit and hear from industry professionals how highly they regard the Douglas region and the variety of experiences on offer,” she added.

Ms Bennett said while Australian Marketplace had been incredibly successful she was looking forward to getting on the road and visiting a number of key cities including Toronto, New York, Chicago and Houston.

“We will meet with an average of 60 agents in each city training them on selling the destination.

“Of the 12 Queensland products on the show, seven are from the Douglas Shire, an amazing investment from our region and sending a very strong message to the North American travel industry that our region is heavily invested in inbound tourism from the region,” she said.