General News
29 April, 2025
Tourism on the rebound
FORWARD bookings in the Shire’s tourism sector are looking promising as holidaymakers start returning to the region in growing numbers.
Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree (TPDD) chairwoman Rosie Douglas said figures were beginning to look like before ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper wreaked havoc on the Shire.
“The good news is that the forward bookings are looking good and starting to get back to the 2023 levels,” she said.
Ms Douglas has been in the hot seat for nearly two months and her four decades of experience in the tourism industry already appear to be proving beneficial.
Ms Douglas has lived in the region since the early 1990s having moved up north for a job and consequently never leaving.
Her experience has included working in various hotels and the Cairns Convention Centre, plus 13 years at Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) where she left her final role as partnerships and events general manager in November 2023.
Since joining TPDD on March 6, Ms Douglas has set out to build a firm relationship with other board members, aiming to further develop visitor experiences in the Douglas Shire. “We need to get a coordinated message out there, involving everyone such as TDPP and TTNQ, plus other people in the industry, as they all have their own social media channels to communicate with guests,” she said.
“Unfortunately, disasters in this area can be reported inconsistently.
“Tourism Port Douglas Daintree has been very proactive in getting the word out there, with simple messages like the sun is shining, people are out on the Reef today, basically just getting that content out there.”
But she expressed her concerns about the speed of recovery north of the Daintree River.
“The time taken is frustrating, but it is the responsibility of the politicians in terms of the time it will take to fix the roads,” Ms Douglas said.
“Once access to the area is fixed, we will have many more visitors back to see these amazing natural attractions. Unfortunately, it all takes time.
“We just have to keep pushing with regards to political agendas.”
Ms Douglas said she believed it was also up to business owners to re-invest in their own infrastructure.
“Investment into new projects does lead to investment by other local business owners and councils, because it instills confidence and puts a spotlight on the destination,” she said.
“The community needs to get behind new proposals.
“I’m pleased to say there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes with regards to new proposals.”
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