Queensland Tourism Minister: 'Cairns is seeing remarkable growth with a renewed energy'
Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism and Minister for Science and Innovation Andrew Powell, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific, stated (31-Jul-2025) "We are determined to make Queensland the number one destination for visitors in Australia". Mr Powell said Cairns has seen "remarkable growth in the past few years with a renewed energy". He noted the government has "great opportunities to realise" with the newly announced Connecting Queensland Fund. He added: "We will continue to work with airports to develop a framework for that fund, to make sure it is fit for purpose".
Background ✨
The Connecting Queensland fund was launched to attract new aviation routes and create jobs as part of the broader Destination 2045 tourism strategy, which aims to leverage the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and double visitor expenditure to AUD84 billion by 20451. The government also established a Tourism Cabinet Committee to guide Queensland’s tourism master plan from 2025 to 2045, with extensive stakeholder engagement2.