Brisbane 11 July 2013. The Queensland Government and Qantas have today signed a $12 million cooperative marketing agreement to promote the State’s tourism destinations to the world.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey said the new three-year agreement more than doubled the value of current joint marketing activities undertaken by Qantas and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ).

“This is a milestone marketing agreement and the largest tourism and events airline partnership in the State’s history,” Ms Stuckey said.

“Queensland shares a close and long relationship with Qantas which is the largest international and domestic airline operating from our State.

“Qantas’ strong international brand, premium product and service make it an ideal partner to promote to the world Queensland’s tourism destinations from the Gold Coast to the Great Barrier Reef and many others.

“The global partnership will deliver great dividends for Queensland, particularly in attracting more visitors from the State’s key international markets including New Zealand, United States, Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.”

The agreement will see Queensland promoted internationally as one of Australia’s premier holiday and events destinations.

It formalises current marketing activity undertaken by TEQ and Qantas including international advertising, marketing and publicity campaigns and international trade tours.

Ms Stuckey said it also provided a platform to explore new ways to jointly promote tourism into Queensland, particularly through digital and social media.

“Within Australia, the focus will be on boosting domestic business and premium leisure travel to the State as well as encouraging more interstate visitors to our regional destinations via the airline’s extensive domestic network,” she said.

Qantas Chief Financial Officer Gareth Evans said the airline started in the state 90 years ago and its connections have never been stronger.

“Qantas will be working hand in hand with the Queensland Government, towards a simple goal - to increase visitor numbers,” Mr Evans said.

“The Qantas Group services more destinations in Queensland than in any other state in Australia and brings millions of business and premium leisure visitors to Queensland every year.

“We are proud to connect Queensland to the world and we look forward to strengthening that connection.

“This $12 million deal will build on the benefits from Qantas’ new global partnership with Emirates, which makes it much easier for travellers from the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to fly to places like the Gold Coast and Cairns.

“Jetstar also provides seamless connectivity into Asia joining the dots of the other Jetstar airlines in Japan, Singapore, Vietnam to provide a strong feed for the Queensland tourism industry,” Mr Evans added.

TEQ and Qantas are finalising details for the first joint campaigns under the new partnership, which are expected to commence from September in multiple overseas markets.

Ms Stuckey said tourism was one of the four pillars of the Queensland economy and the Government had set an ambitious target of growing overnight visitor expenditure to $30 billion by 2020.

“The partnership we’re announcing today will be a powerful tool for attracting more visitors to the State and assisting to reach our 2020 tourism targets,” she said.

Qantas, together with QantasLink, currently services 24 destinations in Queensland and connects the State to more than 200 destinations around the world.

The Qantas Group employs more than 5,000 people in Queensland.

The airline has previously announced investment of $30 million at Brisbane Airport on its heavy maintenance base, creating an additional 227 local jobs.

Qantas is also moving its major catering operations into a new $70 million purpose-built facility in Brisbane later this year.