26 June 2025
PARTNERSHIP RENEWALS
We sincerely thank our Industry Partners for their support over the past year and for their continued commitment to the Gold Coast’s visitor economy.
In line with Experience Gold Coast's strategic direction for the upcoming financial year, we have introduced enhancements to our Industry Partnership levels. These updates are detailed in the newly released 2025/2026 Industry Partnership Prospectus. The revisions are designed to:
- Foster Deeper Engagement: Encourage more meaningful interactions with our broader activities and strategic priorities.
- Unlock Cross-Sector Opportunities: Facilitate collaborations that drive innovation and growth across various sectors.
- Enhance Collective Impact: Ensure our partners are optimally positioned to benefit from EGC's initiatives across the city.
We are privileged to have you as a partner and look forward to our continued collaboration into FY26 and beyond.
Partnership renewal invoices have been distributed within the past week. If you have any questions or have not yet received your invoice, please reach out to our team at industrypartnerships@experiencegoldcoast.com.
THE FUTURE OF QUEENSLAND TOURISM STARTS WITH DESTINATION 2045
The Queensland Government’s Destination 2045 is a bold plan for delivering Queensland’s tourism future and positioning us as a global tourism leader.
The plan will boost our tourism industry, doubling the value of visitor expenditure to $84 billion by 2045 and delivering lasting benefits to Queensland communities.
Six strategic priorities will guide the next two decades:
- Ecotourism: Delivering more experiences in nature
- Events: Transforming Queensland into Australia’s event capital
- Connectivity: Moving into and around Queensland easier
- Experiences: Delivering more to see and do
- Brand: Bringing in more visitors through world-class marketing
- Industry: Backing our operators
This plan ensures we’re ready to showcase the spirit of our state to the world in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond.
GOLD COAST BECOMES MOST CONNECTED AUSTRALIAN CITY TO NZ
Gold Coast Airport recently welcomed the return of the city's very first international flight route with the arrival of Jetstar Airways' inaugural service from Hamilton, New Zealand touching down on June 18.
Last year the Gold Coast welcomed a record 222,000 Kiwis — and this new connection will add 58,000 additional seats between Australia and New Zealand annually.
Jetstar also launched its inaugural flight from Dunedin to the Gold Coast on 24 June, marking another win for the city’s international network and cementing the Gold Coast as the most connected Australian city to New Zealand — just in time for the Kiwi winter school holidays.
We’re proud to work alongside our key partners grow these connections and welcome even more New Zealanders to experience the warmth, energy and world-class offerings of our region.
KIWIS GET A TASTE OF QUEENSLAND ‘HOLIDAY FEELING’
Tourism and Events Queensland gave our Kiwi friends a true taste of that Queensland "Holiday Feeling" with the launch of the new Queensland brand platform in Auckland on Monday 16 June.
Experience Gold Coast was proud to support the event, spending time with our valued travel, tourism, airline, and media partners, while also backing experience activations by the Mondrian and Sol Elements.
New Zealand remains one of the Gold Coast’s most important international visitor markets. With record numbers of Kiwi travellers over the past year, we’re excited to continue working in close partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland to inspire even more New Zealanders to discover everything Queensland — and the Gold Coast — has to offer.
INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR AUSTRALIA MARKETPLACE CHINA 2025
Australia Marketplace China 2025 (AMC25) will be held in Xi'an, China from Monday 10 – Thursday 13 November 2025. The event is an opportunity for representatives from the Australian tourism industry to establish and maintain business relationships with key qualified travel agencies and tour operators from across Greater China. It includes three days of pre-scheduled appointments and networking opportunities.
The Australia Luxury Showcase China 2025 (ALSC25) will be held on Friday, 14 November. The event will provide Australian luxury tourism businesses with a forum to engage with luxury travel agencies across Greater China and establish business connections through pre-scheduled appointments. ALSC25 buyers are senior decision makers with itinerary and product contracting influence who actively sell Australia as a preferred luxury long-haul destination.
Sellers can apply for consideration to attend, noting a luxury focused seller selection criteria will apply. Seller and buyer applications close on Friday, 4 July 2025. Visit the event website for more information and to apply.
REGISTRATIONS OPEN: AUSTRALIA NEXT 2025
Registrations are now open for Australian industry sellers to participate in Tourism Australia's signature incentive showcase, Australia Next 2025.
Australia Next will be held in Melbourne / Narrm from 1 - 3 December 2025. The event provides the Australian business events industry the opportunity to connect with qualified incentive buyers from around the world, while showcasing Australia’s best incentive experiences and products.
GOLD COAST SHINES IN SYDNEY AT INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE
Experience Gold Coast hosted an Inbound Tour Operators (ITO) Workshop in Sydney on 17 June, providing B2B networking opportunities between Gold Coast accommodation and experience operators, and Sydney-based inbound tour operators. The full day Gold Coast showcase allowed for product and industry updates, market insights and strengthening of industry relationships to keep the Gold Coast front of mind for international trade. A big thank you to our Experience Gold Coast partners for supporting this key event on the trade calendar.
QUEENSLAND AIRPORTS LIMITED (QAL) COMMUNITY BENEFIT FUND
The Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) Community Benefit Fund is focused broadly on the categories of environment and sustainability, accessibility and inclusion initiatives and indigenous affairs. The 2025 Community Benefit Fund is open now until Thursday 10 July.
All applications for the Community Benefit Fund must fit into at least one of these funding categories to be eligible for consideration:
- Environment and Sustainability: Initiatives that promote environmental enhancement and/or sustainability in the local community. Examples include improving biodiversity of natural habitats, community conservation and environmental education.
- Accessibility and Inclusion Initiatives: Initiatives that promote and enhance accessibility in the local community
- Indigenous Affairs: Initiatives aimed at supporting the Indigenous community and/or enhancing Indigenous cultural awareness in the broader community.
Any FAQ's or contact Community Enterprise Foundation on 1300 304541
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEXT-GEN VISITOR ECONOMY CRC BID - LEARN MORE NOW
This current Bid in Round 26 of the Australian Government Cooperative Research Centre Program, is an opportunity for our tourism industry to secure substantial funding for collaborative research development to create a step-change, enabling a sustainable visitor economy through AI and smart technologies.
Currently 51 Industry Partners and 5 leading Universities are on board, including Griffith University, Experience Gold Coast, Village Roadshow Theme Parks and The Tour Collective.
Join online Thursday 10 July 12pm – 1pm, for the Next-Gen Visitor Economy Live Webinar to learn more about the CRC and the potential opportunity for your business. Everyone is welcome.
OCEAN BEACH TOURIST PARK WINS NATIONAL GOLD
Ocean Beach Tourist Park has won the Gold ReviewPro Reputation People’s Choice Park of the Year award 2025.
This award celebrates great visitor experiences, exceptional customer service and consistently exceeding guest expectations.
Park Managers Bec Morgan and Pete Wilson expressed their pride in receiving the award.
“This award means so much because it comes from the people who’ve stayed with us. It’s about making people feel genuinely welcome, comfortable, and part of something special,” they said.
Ocean Beach Tourist Park is a boutique park nestled against North Burleigh headland and directly opposite the patrolled Miami surf beaches.
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS TO GOLD COAST VISITORS
With school holidays approaching, it’s the perfect time to promote your business with T.H.E Brochure Service. For over 20 years, the brand has connected businesses with Gold Coast visitors through 230+ high-traffic displays from Sanctuary Cove to Tweed Heads, including The Star Casino, Dorsett, Rydges GC Airport and more.
As hands-on owner-operators, T.H.E Brochure Service restock every 7–14 days to keep your brochures visible. You’ll also gain bonus digital exposure via MiGoldCoast—featured on our website and promoted to 80,000+ social media followers.
To learn more, call Rebecca today on 1300 655 418.
FROM RESCUE TO RELEASE: COCONUT THE TROPICBIRD GETS A SECOND CHANCE ON LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
Just in time for World Environment Day, a juvenile Red-Tailed Tropicbird affectionately named Coconut was flown from the Gold Coast to Lady Elliot Island aboard a charter flight, thanks to a coordinated effort by the teams at Lady Elliot Island and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.
Coconut was found stranded at Mt Walker, Southwest of Ipswich, likely blown far off course from his natural habitat by strong winds. Since the end of April, the team at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital has provided weeks of care to help him regain strength.
One of Currumbin Wildlife Hospital’s dedicated Vet Nurses accompanied Coconut on the flight, along with Peter Gash OAM and Amy Gash, Custodians of Lady Elliot Island. The Leaf to Reef team, a collection of conservationists, researchers and scientists, on the Island will continue to monitor Coconut and ensure he adjusts well to life in the wild.
QUICK SNIPPETS
- The Board of Tourism Australia announced Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, will depart the organisation in August 2025 to take up a new opportunity overseas.
VIEW THE 12 JUNE 2025 VISITOR ECONOMY UPDATE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Experience Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.