Marketing Plan outlines a focused and future-ready approach to strengthening the region’s position as one of Australia’s leading sustainable tourism destinations. Anchored in TPDD’s 2025–2029 Strategic Direction, the plan prioritises driving year-round visitation, particularly during the shoulder and summer seasons, while strengthening demand, improving destination visibility, and fostering aligned industry collaboration
Key focus areas include strengthening domestic and international marketing efforts within available resources, developing fresh content, deepening trade engagement, and exploring opportunities to align with h l fl h
TPDD will also explore co-operative campaign models that provide operators with strong exposure through digital, potential out-of-home (OOH), and trade engagement opportunities.
The plan includes investment across digital marketing, campaign activity, trade engagement, content creation, and famils
Performance will be evaluated through digital benchmarks, media value, website and social reach, sustainability metrics, and member satisfaction
This strategy positions TPDD to deliver highimpact, cost-effective marketing that supports a resilient tourism industry while preserving and promoting the unique environmental and cultural character of the Douglas region.
INTRODUCTION
Tourism Port Douglas Daintree (TPDD) is the official local tourism organisation for the Douglas Shire and a not-for-profit entity dedicated to promoting the Port Douglas and Daintree region as a worldleading, nature-based sustainable destination.
The 2025–26 Marketing Strategy builds upon the TPDD Strategic Direction 2025–2029 and lessons from the 2024–25 marketing cycle, while factoring in regional challenges, emerging trends, and longterm destination goals.
OBJECTIVES
1.Drive year-round, high-value visitation, especially in shoulder and summer seasons.
2.Position Port Douglas Daintree as a world-class sustainable tourism destination
3.Strengthen partnerships and industry alignment
4.Support diversification and resilience in the local tourism economy
5.Amplify brand visibility through compelling, content-led storytelling and digital activation.
6 Support tourism-aligned development and regional event growth.
SWOT ANALYSIS
To guide this plan, the following SWOT analysis outlines the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats influencing the destination and TPDD’s marketing direction.
STRENGTHS
1.Globally recognised World Heritagelisted attractions (Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest)
2.Strong regional brand with an established reputation for sustainability and nature-based experiences
3.Proactive and collaborative industry network
4.Strong community pride and place attachment WEAKNESSES
1.Seasonal visitation patterns impacting business sustainability
2 Limited marketing budgets relative to
OPPORTUNITIES
1.Expansion of shoulder and summer season travel
2.Growth of wellness, nature, and sustainable travel sectors
3.Development of new events and experiences
4.Strengthening partnerships and corporate alignment
5 Participation in regional/state campaigns and leveraging distressed media inventory
THREATS
1.Climate change and extreme weather events (e.g. cyclones, flooding)
2 Competition from other nature-based
VISITATION & TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS
As of the December 2024 quarter, the Port Douglas and Daintree region continues to face headwinds in its recovery from the prolonged impacts of COVID-19 and the recent disruption caused by Tropical Cyclone Jasper, with visitation and market share in key segments such as Victoria remaining below pre-pandemic levels
International Recovery Snapshot
Dec Qtr 2024 v 2019
Total Trips: from 111K
Visitor Nights: 75K from 645K 477K
Domestic Snapshot
Dec Qtr 2024 v 2019
Total Trips: from 371K
Visitor Nights: 324K from 1.98M 1.76M
The return of key international markets such as the US and UK is being supported through trade engagement and targeted marketing. Regarding domestic marketing, TPDD has seen positive results from media exposure including segments from the TODAY Show, encouraging shoulder-season travel. These figures reinforce the importance of targeted domestic marketing, long-stay itinerary promotion, and storytelling that aligns with both emotional and experiential motivators.
Top Domestic Motivators
Rest and Relaxation in a tropical climate
Outdoor activities in natural settings
Slow paced escape with natural beauty
Top Inernational Motivators
Nature based experiences - reef & rainforest
Wildlife encounters unique to Australia
Indigenous culture and local storytelling
EVENTS APPROACH
Events are a key pillar in TPDD’s strategy to drive visitation and regional vibrancy, particularly in the shoulder and summer seasons
While TPDD does not typically have capacity to directly fund events, it plays a valuable facilitation role in helping realise event opportunities that align with the region’s tourism strategy. This includes connecting event proponents with relevant industry stakeholders, supporting stakeholder engagement, assisting with strategic alignment and local insights, and amplifying marketing efforts through the organisation’s marketing program.
Our aim is to:
Encourage and guide the development of new events that reflect the region’s sustainability and experiential values
Maximise the value and awareness of existing events
Support the spread of events across the calendar to boost visitation during lower occupancy periods.
Act as a regional connector between the event sector, Douglas Shire Council, tourism operators, and other partners to identify and nurture opportunities.
TPDD supports the development of events that align with the region’s nature, wellness, food, and cultural offerings. These may include wellness festivals, boutique sports events, Indigenous and cultural celebrations, and nature-based programs.
Key
Events
Port Douglas Race Week
Port Douglas Carnivale
Reef to Reef MTB
Taste
Port Douglas
Run
Port Douglas
Port Douglas Gran Fondo
Port Shorts Film Festival
Port Shorts Marlin Challenge 13-17 May 23-25 May 24-27
Nov
INDUSTRY CAPACITY
BUILDING & NETWORKING
TPDD recognises that a strong, connected tourism industry is essential to delivering world-class visitor experiences While marketing remains its core focus, TPDD plays a key role in strengthening industry capability and professional connection across the region
Keyinitiativesinclude:
1.Facilitating industry development via targeted workshops, briefings, and webinars.
2.Connecting local operators with regional, state, and national tourism stakeholders.
3.Providing up-to-date data, market trends, and insights to support decision-making
4.Supporting participation in trade events, content campaigns, and sales missions.
5 This work ensures the region remains competitive, adaptive, and ready to respond to evolving traveller needs
LEVERAGING MEMBER BUY-IN FOR SHARED MARKETING OUTCOMES
As a not-for-profit local tourism organisation, TPDD prioritises costeffective, high-impact marketing through collaborative campaigns that leverage member investment In 2025–26, TPDD will continue to facilitate shared marketing opportunities that align with strategic objectives, amplify regional and statelevel messaging, and offer strong ROI for participating members.
This includes exploring high-value, time-sensitive media placements such as distressed inventory and campaign extensions paired with coinvestment from members. A proven model, this approach allows TPDD to maximise exposure while minimising cost to the organisation and participants.
TPDD MARKETING PLAN, 2025-2026
PRIORITY ACTIVITIES 2025-26
TPDD’s 2025–26 program will build on previous years’ momentum while enhancing destination visibility, digital engagement, and industry partnerships. Activities will include identifying and pursuing high-value, last-minute media and advertising opportunities, such as distressed inventory, that align with TPDD’s strategic goals. As a not-for-profit LTO, TPDD will proactively seek out opportunities that amplify regional and state-level campaigns, offering strong value for money and increased visibility for the destination.
SeasonalMarketingCampaigns:
Deliver targeted shoulder and summer campaigns to stimulate off-peak visitation, supported by operator coinvestment and integrated messaging across digital and OOH channels
ContentCreation&MediaOutreach: Ongoing investment in destination content including photography, video, and editorial to support campaigns, digital presence, and trade tools. This includes print publications and targeted earned media exposure to reinforce the region’s brand identity TradeEngagement:TPDD will maintain its focus on trade relationships with inbound tour operators, OTAs, and international markets, with participation in key trade shows, missions, and webinars. Strategic trade engagement will support market recovery and conversion.
VisitorServicing&LocalExperience Development: Continued development of tools and itineraries to support onground visitation, such as the digital Experience Guide, local maps, and itinerary planning support for travel trade.
EventsSupport&Facilitation: TPDD will continue to connect potential event organisers with regional stakeholders and help guide new event opportunities that align with destination values and tourism goals.
IndustryAdvocacy&Destination Development:TPDD will support aligned development initiatives through briefings, stakeholder engagement, and communications to ensure tourism remains central to regional growth. Priorities include advocacy support for projects such as the Waterfront South Marine Precinct and tourism-aligned agritourism initiatives.
ACTION SUMMARY
Initiative
Seasonal Marketing Campaigns
Content Creation & Media Outreach
ActionSummary Responsible Party Timing
Deliver shoulder and summer digital bursts with member coinvestment
Produce new video/photo content and facilitate earned media opportunities
TPDD Q2–Q4 FY25/26
Trade Engagement
Member-Led Co-Op Campaigns
Attend key trade shows, deliver webinars, and coordinate missions
Facilitate leveraged initiatives like Tour de Cure Sunrise activation
TPDD Ongoing
Visitor Servicing & Tools
Maintain and distribute visitor tools and resources
TPDD Ongoing
TPDD & Members As identified
TPDD Ongoing
Event Support & Facilitation Support facilitation of new and emerging events. TPDD Ongoing
Industry Advocacy & Development
Support strategic projects and prepare tourism input for proposals TPDD Ongoing
2025/26 BUDGET
The 2025/26 TPDD budget reflects a strong focus on marketing activity Whilst nearly 45% of funds allocated to wages and staffing, it’s important to recognise that these staffing and administration costs are directly tied to the delivery of impactful marketing outcomes. Our lean team is responsible for driving all core activity across business events, domestic and international marketing, and content creation, ensuring maximum return on investment for every activity.
These operational resources are not overheads in the traditional sense, but a critical engine behind the region’s continued success in attracting and engaging visitors
In 2025–26, TPDD’s marketing budget is strategically allocated to ensure strong visibility, market engagement, and visitor conversion across key channels. The largest investment is directed toward destination campaigns ($105K) and digital marketing across content, web, social media and direct mail ($60K), recognising the need for sustained reach, engagement and digital performance. Trade show activity ($52K), event support ($17K) and famil programs ($22K) are also key pillars, supporting direct trade relationships, digital storytelling, and immersive experience promotion. This diversified approach ensures that TPDD remains competitive, adaptable, and visible across both consumer and trade markets.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITY
SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON OPPORTUNITIES AND MARKET CONDITIONS
MarketingActivityOverview:
The 2025–26 program balances always-on activity with strategic bursts to drive visitation during shoulder seasons
Always-OnActivity
Key marketing elements will run year-round to maintain destination awareness and member support:
Social Media: Ongoing destination storytelling aligned with seasonal themes. Digital Marketing & Website: Continuous investment in digital activities and website optimisation.
Membership Engagement: Consistent promotion through digital and print channels.
Subscriptions & Tools: Support campaign delivery and performance tracking.
Industry Engagement: Regular meetings and updates keep stakeholders aligned. Cruise support: Coordinate and support cruise welcome volunteers for visitor arrivals.
StrategicCampaignActivity
Campaigns and high-impact activity are timed to align with key booking windows: Seasonal Campaigns: Planned for November, February and July - August to drive summer, autumn and spring visitation.
Content Projects: Delivered to support campaign creative. Publications: Released quarterly to align with campaigns and events.
Trade & Industry Events: Focused around February, May, and October–November.
Famils: Scheduled throughout the year, peaking in April, June, August, and October.
This approach ensures a consistent presence while maximising impact in key periods
KPIS & ADDITIONAL FUNDING PLAN
TPDDs activities will be measured against performance benchmarks. If additional marketing funds are secured, TPDD would scale up media engagement, increase content production, and execute additional digital and out-of-home bursts with national or international reach. These efforts would directly contribute to a measurable increase in AVE and OVE, with targets set according to expanded media exposure goals, potential content syndication, and earned media value amplification through campaign extensions.
OVE
DigitalMarketing
TradeEngagement
Content&Media
Through collective industry efforts TPDD aims to contribute to rebuilding overnight visitor expenditure to $550M+ in 2025-26
Focus on content quality, SEO improvements, and organic social, without setting targets that rely on paid media uplift.
Website:
Total users: +3% to 248K
Sessions: +3% to 306K
Duration: 2 3mins+
EventFacilitation
IndustryAdvocacy &Development
Socials:
Instagram: +10% in followers 62K
Facebook: +5% in followers to 69K
TikTok: +15% in followers to 2 2K
Conduct over 200 trade meetings over at least 3 major trade show events with 100% follow up. Monitor success and conversion.
Launch 2 major campaign bursts to support shoulder season activity. Through campaign activity and always on PR and media focus, aim to achieve a minimum AVE of 3:1, or $500K+ (budget dependant)
Support the successful launch of at least one new event in the shoulder or summer season by providing strategic guidance, facilitating stakeholder connections, offering access to destination resources, and delivering targeted marketing support where appropriate
Member satisfaction: Achieve 80%+ satisfaction rating through annual survey or feedback mechanisms.
Stakeholder engagement: Deliver a minimum of 3 formal briefings/presentations to Council and key stakeholders annually.
Submissions & advocacy: Submit or contribute to at least 3 formal submissions or position papers supporting regional priorities
Member engagement: Conduct 3+ member updates and networking events per year.
EXPLORING CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS
In 2025–26, TPDD will explore new opportunities to align with corporate partners whose brand values reflect the destination’s focus on sustainability, wellness, and nature-based travel. If successful, such partnerships could help amplify campaign messaging, attract aligned audiences, and deliver shared value through collaborative storytelling, destination exposure, and industry participation opportunities.
As a small not-for-profit LTO, TPDD will take a strategic yet agile approach, remaining open to high-impact partnership opportunities as they arise
CONCLUSION
The 2025–26 Marketing Strategy reflects Tourism Port Douglas Daintree’s commitment to smart, collaborative, and future-focused destination marketing. In a shifting tourism landscape, TPDD will continue to adapt, lead, and align with its stakeholders to drive sustainable visitation and support regional development. By deepening partnerships, harnessing data-driven insights, and enabling cost-effective, high-impact marketing opportunities in collaboration with members and partners, TPDD is well-positioned to elevate the region’s profile while delivering tangible value for operators and the wider Douglas community
