At QTIC, we are fortunate to have the guidance of our First Nations team, Aunty Rhonda and Seleena, who teach us daily what genuine partnership and cultural respect look like in practice.

Yesterday, we hosted our annual QTIC NAIDOC Corporate Breakfast and it was nothing short of extraordinary. Among the many powerful and memorable moments, a few truly stood out that I’d like to highlight. We heard from Jeremy Donovan, CEO of Walking With Wisdom, a proud Kuku-Yalanji and Gumbayngirr man, award-winning speaker and tireless advocate who has spoken at the UN, led GenerationOne and was named by Time as Australia’s Most Influential Public Speaker. Jeremy spoke about being chameleons of culture, how we share and evolve language, and reminded us that we shouldn’t change our vocabulary for different rooms or corporate offices, we should simply be who we are. It was a powerful moment of reflection on authenticity.

We also heard from Aaron Pedersen, part of the world premiere production Dear Son, sharing profound letters of love, hope and healing from First Nations fathers and sons. Aaron spoke simply but powerfully: that love is the way forward in every aspect of life.

These words, about truth, identity and love, resonated deeply. They are reminders of the kind of industry, and society, we are striving to shape.

You’ll notice this Industry Update looks a little different. We’ve refreshed the name, updated sections and adjusted the frequency to fortnightly (and we’ll try reduce other EDMs in between) to better meet your needs, with a stronger focus on opportunities, particularly for our valued members. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these changes and what you’d like to see in future updates.

It’s membership renewal time and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all who have already renewed for the year ahead. Your commitment allows us to keep advocating powerfully for our sector. If you’re a member of your RTO, remember you’re eligible for a special QTIC membership discount. Being part of both your RTO and QTIC is incredibly important; each plays a different yet essential role in building a strong, sustainable visitor economy. We’ll be sharing and celebrating our new and returning members soon and we look forward to recognising you all.

This afternoon we are holding a Gold Coast Champion Member networking event at Experience Gold Coast, and later this month we’ll be taking the QTIC Board to Tropical North Queensland. While there, we’ll join TTNQ’s networking event and spend time with members and operators over several days. Looking ahead, I’ll be out in the regions over the coming weeks – the Sunshine Coast on 16 July, Cairns from 28 to 31 July, Townsville hopefully in early August, and we’re planning visits to the Fraser Coast and Capricorn regions soon. If you’re in these areas and would like to catch up, please reach out. These face-to-face conversations are invaluable for ensuring we stay closely aligned with your opportunities and challenges.

Our workforce team, Kathryn, Mitch and Carlie, continue to deliver outstanding work, from supporting Magnetic Glamping through our Indigenous Workforce Advancement program, to partnering with GoBoat on Queensland’s first school-based Certificate III in Tourism traineeship, and helping DarkArts Global facilitate real employment outcomes for university and TAFE students. We’re also collaborating on work experience opportunities at the Ekka and the Moreton Bay Food & Wine Festival. If you’d like to explore workforce initiatives or meet with our team, please get in touch with Carlie.

Please also save the date for 28 August, when we’ll host our first Queensland Parliament event, Tourism in the House, at Parliament House. This is a members-only, ticketed event (with reduced pricing to help cover costs), bringing our industry directly to MPs from across the state. It’s a critical platform to ensure tourism stays high on the agenda. Invitations will be out shortly. And while you’re at it, mark World Tourism Day on 10 September on the Gold Coast, supported by Experience Gold Coast. It promises to be a luncheon with excellent content and networking, more details soon.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve engaged directly with Ministers, Director-Generals and Deputy Directors-General, Chiefs of Staff, the CEOs of TEQ, RTOs, LTOs, Business Chamber Queensland, leading industry associations and the Chinese Consul General. These discussions reinforce the vital role tourism plays in Queensland’s economy and ensure your interests are championed at every level.

On behalf of the team and I, thank you again for your continued support. It’s a privilege to serve such a resilient and forward-looking industry. I look forward to seeing many of you in the weeks ahead as we continue this work together.