With 1.3 million people coming to Cairns last year to visit the Great Barrier Reef and nearby World Heritage listed rainforest, it is little wonder Cairns is Australia’s fifth busiest airport. In 1996, some 6.3 million visitor nights were recorded. The multiplier effect of their spending has been estimated to be $1.2 billion.
Well equipped with natural and man made attractions, Cairns City Council provides more than $350,000 for tourism promotion to the Far North Queensland Promotions Bureau and Cassowary Coast Development Bureau.
With some 619,000 international visitors and 685,000 domestic visitors to the region, each week there are 184 aircraft movements through the City’s locally owned international airport.
Ten major international airline carriers now use the airport. This has been growing at an average rate of 30 percent over the past five years, well in excess of the national figure of 6.5 percent. Domestic flights have been slightly lower at a 25 percent growth rate, but still well above the national level of 5.5 percent.
Cairns City Council was formed in March 1995 following the merger of the former Mulgrave Shire and old Cairns City. The new City has a population of 130,000, spread along a coastal belt from Ellis Beach in the north to Bramston Beach in the south, covering an area of 1,700 square kilometres.
“Cairns City Council has become far more than a service provider,” said the Mayor, Cr Tom Payne. “Council has played a major role in the promotion of the central business district as the cultural centre for the Far North.”
He said Council is committed to keeping the inner City vibrant and alive, serviced by a first class public transport system. Through its Corporate Plan, Council strives to provide the best balance of services to all sectors of the community.
“Cairns City’s biggest asset is its people,” the Mayor continued. “They come from a diverse range of backgrounds, and this helps create a meld of cultures which benefits and enhances the rich fabric of our society.”
For further information contact John Lane, Manager Public Affairs, telephone (070) 502 402.
