Tourism Minister welcomes CAPA Airline Leader Summit, highlights Connecting Queensland Fund
Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism and Minister for Science and Innovation Andrew Powell welcomed (31-Jul-2025) the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific event in Cairns, which is expected to generate 1020 visitor nights and AUD1.2 million (USD771,282) in direct visitor spend. Mr Powell highlighted the new Connecting Queensland Fund - which aims to attract international and domestic aviation routes as part of the state's larger Destination 2045 tourism plan. Mr Powell stated: "With international aviation rebounding and the region's recovery well underway, we are at a crucial time for growth, with the CAPA summit highlighting the critical role aviation plays in connecting Queensland to the world and driving economic growth". [more - original PR]
Background ✨
The Connecting Queensland Fund formed part of a broader 20-year Destination 2045 tourism plan, targeting increased air services, enhanced regional connectivity, and job creation to leverage opportunities around the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to more than double visitor expenditure to AUD84 billion by 20451. Queensland's government planned to collaborate with airports to ensure the fund's framework met industry needs2.