Tourism Queensland is the state government agency responsible for the marketing of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 tourism destinations and the development of the tourist industry in the state. The agency was established in 1979 as the Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation. Tourism Queensland was once part of the abolished Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development. Following a machinery of government change in 2009, it now operates from within the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation

Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation

Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation is the Queensland Government department for employment, economic development and innovation for the state of Queensland...

.

Structure

Tourism Queensland is located in Tourism Queensland House at 30 Makerston Street, in the Brisbane central business district

Brisbane central business district

The Brisbane central business district , sometimes referred to as the city, is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is located on a point on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The triangular shaped area is bounded by the Brisbane River to the east, south and west...

. The agency has more than 10 overseas offices. Tourism Queensland has four main departments which are the Marketing Group, Destinations Group, Business Performance & Planning Group and the International Group. The current tourism minister is Jan Jarratt

Jan Jarratt

Janice Heather "Jan" Jarratt is an Australian politician. She was a teacher specialising in children with learning difficulties before entering parliament. A member of the Australian Labor Party, she was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the seat of Whitsunday in 2001...

 while the current board chairman is Don Morris.

Activities

Tourism Queensland collects statistics related to tourism in Queensland. Focus areas include source markets, destination markets and aviation. The department has developed a Queensland tourism and travel advice website called Queensland Holidays. The agency periodically releases reports based on studies on niche markets, for example, ecotourism

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...

, backpacking

Backpacking (travel)

Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...

 and Bed and breakfast markets.

Promotions

The agency was responsible for the successful promotion campaign for Hamilton Island that was dubbed the 'Best job in the world'. The 2009 Unreal Deals campaign was the agency's most successful domestic retail campaign ever. Other recently run campaigns have targeted the Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

, Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast, Queensland

The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...

, tropical North Queensland

North Queensland

North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...

 and the Whitsundays.

External links

• Tourism Queensland Official Corporate website
• Queensland Holidays Official Public website