A melting pot of urban luxury, bespoke experiences, natural beauty and warm Australian hospitality, the revitalised Queensland coastal city of Cairns is the tropical north gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage Wet Tropics Rainforest.
Upon touching down in Cairns, it is easy to see why it’s a modern, nature-based, luxe incentive hotspot in Australia.
Visitors soon discover how this regional destination inspires, rewards, surprises and delights, and why the city was chosen to host Tourism Australia’s signature incentive showcase, Australia Next, in September 2024.
Cairns offers Australia’s largest concentration of eco-certified experiences, two Indigenous cultures and two World Heritage icons. The city has emerged as a premier regional incentive destination with itineraries designed to sustain the environment and soul.
With access to Atherton Tablelands – one of Australia’s most diverse food bowls – taste buds will savour the flavour of paddock-to-plate with premium local produce sourced within a three-hour drive from Cairns.
Just 10 minutes from the airport, delegates arriving in Cairns can shrug off jackets, breath fresh, warm air and sip on locally inspired cocktails in luxurious five-star surroundings.
After taking in the view of the Coral Sea during a tropical welcome lunch overlooking the lush, sprawling oceanfront, they will be inspired to dive deep into Indigenous culture with a smoking ceremony on the beach.
Upon inhaling the fragrant smoke, delegates will feel calm and connected to the land before taking a historical journey to discover native foods and bush medicines, while learning about ancient Aboriginal traditions, customs and artefacts.
Continuing the theme of local and fresh, next on the itinerary is taking over a fleet of Queensland fishing trawlers for a private seafood extravaganza on the water overlooking the lights of the city, before moving on to an exclusive speakeasy cocktail bar to sample the best of Cairns and Great Barrier Reef’s unique, locally distilled, award-winning gins from Wolf Lane and Mt Uncle, which feature native botanicals Davidson plum, juniper berry and lemon myrtle.
When the sparkling aquamarine waters of the Great Barrier Reef beckon, delegates will be spoiled for choice – from relaxed, slow-paced sailing, to an intimate catamaran adventure with a private chef on a white sand coral cay.
Experience an immersive First Nations-lead adventure to the colourful outer reef, or add an educational, citizen science or conservation element by partnering with GBR Biology, Turtle Rehabilitation Centre or the world-first Forever Reef.
The luxury of fresh ingredients with low food miles gives Cairns an edge. Dine in a historical World War II oil tank; be surrounded by magnificent gardens under swaying palms illuminated by lanterns; go barefoot in the sand at the edge of the Coral Sea; or visit a working farm enveloped by towering sugar cane against a backdrop of rugged mountains.
These are experiences only found in Cairns, the home of nature-based luxury.
