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Meet TTNQ’s Mark Olsen

Connect Cairns speaks to Mark Olsen, the new CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland on driving tourism in the Tropical North.

Tropical North Queensland is a destination like no other in the world. The gateway to the largest and most unique living marine structure on Earth, the location of the most ancient rainforest on the planet and one of the oldest surviving indigenous cultures, it is a destination that heralds one of the most diversely beautiful and powerful Australian tourism stories. Cairns is at the very heart of this travel magnet – a city that effortlessly oscillates between a bustling metropolis and a laid back town, all whilst maintaining the vibrancy of its well-regarded tropical holiday vibe.

Mark Olsen is a passionate, long-term tourism professional who has hit the ground running with his recent appointment as CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ). The man behind the compelling Brisbane 2031 destination marketing campaign is now based in the Tropical North, a return to where it all began for him 20 years ago as the Tropical North Queensland Regional Manager for Tourism and Events Queensland. And his passion for this region is nothing short of contagious.

“Tropical North Queensland is the most extraordinary nature-based tourism location in the world. It’s a place that, once you’ve been here, simply embeds itself into your spirit,” he says. “Tropical North Queensland has always been a global leader for creating new visitor experiences and leading the agenda on sustainable tourism, and it’s a region that is so highly desirable to travellers with a remarkable tourism story to tell. I’m excited by the opportunity to bring my experience from 10 years at Tourism and Events Queensland and the past decade working with leading destinations globally that have embraced the TNQ approach.”

Stepping straight into business, Mark isn’t shy about publicly addressing the challenges North Queensland has faced recently resulting in a softer tourism season, although his energy clearly focuses on highlighting the unique natural elements of the region and harnessing user-generated digital tools to increase visitation to the region through storytelling.

“In travel these days, the customer is overwhelmed with choices,” Mark explains. ”Many customers face option paralysis – it’s a very competitive landscape and the world is quite literally open to experience and opportunity, so our job here at TTNQ is to work with businesses to cut through the very loud chatter of worldwide tourism destinations. It’s not about being the loudest; we need to make it not only really easy for visitors to come here and experience the wonders of this region, but to simply give them no other option but to love it and become our biggest advocates.

“In the domestic market, it’s increasingly important that we lead with experience and we make that pathway to purchase as simple as possible, so we’ll increasingly lead with the places the visitor is looking for through a digital marketing platform.”

In terms of the strategic direction TTNQ have in planning for the immediate and long-term future of the region, Mark has razor sharp clarity in where he sees Tropical North Queensland being positioned, and how local businesses can get involved with actionable measures in that strategy.

“We have two primary immediate objectives to focus on here,” Mark says. “Firstly, we need to be very clear in our vision – people come to Tropical North Queensland because of its extraordinary reputation for awesome nature-based activities, authentic Indigenous experiences and adventurous spirit. And it’s the people behind these experiences that drive that. Visitors want real connections, and these are made through the authentic experiences that they can’t do anywhere else.

“Secondly, as businesses we also need to regain our voice and make sure the message we’re spreading highlights our vision. We need to turn all our people, visitors and residents, into our biggest ambassadors. There are a lot of very passionate people in this region, and rightfully so. The whole reason TTNQ is here as an organisation is to unify those messages under the one banner, to work together and cut through the increasingly cluttered marketing environment to get the world inspired again about Tropical North Queensland.”

“We are the amplifiers,” he says. ”The businesses here are the stories, and it’s imperative that we tell those stories. It’s critical that businesses engage with their customers, and that they know exactly what their unique selling point is. It’s vital that we utilise the digital capabilities we have – having a digital mouthpiece for customers to share stories with each other, to harness and spread that authenticity helps the connection to the experience and the place. Digital media is just as important, if not more so, than traditional media simply because of its immediacy and frequency. It’s that frequency that harnesses the truth that generates the story.

“And of course, work with us and alongside us here at TTNQ so that we can leverage our partners on a national and international stage, again helping to amplify the story. At the end of the day, it’s about authentic, heartfelt, real experiences. That’s what people strive for.”

Connect tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au

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