China # 1 International Market for Cruise Whitsundays

Cruise Whitsundays

With China now the top international market for Cruise Whitsundays the company is going all out to make visiting this stunning region of Queensland readily accessible and enjoyable.

As the largest marine tourism operator in the beautiful Whitsundays, Cruise Whitsundays has introduced a new range of accommodated packages visiting the iconic attractions of the island group – the magnificent Great Barrier Reef with the opportunity to visit Heart Reef and Australia's #1 beach Whitehaven, known for its scenic beauty with fine, silky white silica sands and warm crystal clear waters.

The packages are inclusive of accommodation, transfers from Hamilton Island Airport HTI and Whitsunday Coast Airport PPP on the Queensland mainland, along with must-do cruises to the Great Barrier Reef and Whitehaven Beach.

There is also the awesome Reefsleep adventure where a small number of guests can stay for the night on a pontoon 40 kms out on the Great Barrier Reef. The stunning star-filled night sky is so bright without the interference of city lights – and the pontoon has all the facilities to ensure a comfortable overnight where guests sleep out on the top deck in comfortable Australian designed swag bags. These are like small tents with single or double options available. For those seeking more privacy there's even a king bedroom with air conditioning. Be patient enough and you'll see a shooting star!

Cruise Whitsundays has experienced a bumper year for Chinese visitors with an increase of 150% over the previous 12 months.

Forward bookings are especially strong from mainland China, with interest from Hong Kong and Taiwan also healthy, says the company's CEO Nick Hortle.

He said Cruise Whitsundays works closely with the Chinese travel industry and Tourism and Events Queensland to promote and market the Whitsundays region and the company's range of products.

"Just last month we helped host more than 200 leading Chinese travel agents when they came to the Whitsundays for the travel trade event Corroboree Greater China. These agents were all specialists in selling Australian destinations and we were very excited to be able to show them first-hand what a beautiful region we have here and to introduce our products."

Already we are experiencing increased bookings as a direct result of Corroboree Greater China," Mr Hortle added.

(Corroboree is an Australian aboriginal word that embraces songs, dances, rallies and meetings of various kinds.)

Among the many ways Cruise Whitsundays is reaching out to the Chinese market is with dedicated Mandarin speaking staff members in its Reservations department, on board its Great Barrier Reef Adventures day cruise and its Great Barrier Reef dive personnel. The company also caters online to Chinese language speakers at http://www.cruisewhitsundays.com/cn/default.aspx.

Added to this, Cruise Whitsundays has a range of brochures in Chinese and recently launched the first ever Chinese language map of Airlie Beach, aiming to make it easier for Chinese visitors to find their way around town, including showing the location of the company's AUD$15 million cruise terminal which opened late last year.

Mr Hortle said: "Airlie Beach is a small town and easy to walk from one end to the other, however, we feel our region's Chinese visitors and the travel agents making their arrangements will appreciate this map to help them locate all the facilities they need."

Great Barrier Reef

Along with the Cruise Whitsundays terminal, the map pinpoints all hotels, resorts and restaurants, as well as facilities such as Union Pay ATMs, free Wi-Fi spots, supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.

To download the free Chinese Airlie Beach Map click on http://www.cruisewhitsundays.com/cn/download.aspx or for enquiries in Chinese or English contact Business Development Manager Kevin Ross QQ: 3257374484 or kevin@marinetourism.com.