Don’t cancel Christmas says North Queensland as airport, tourism reopens post cyclone

An aerial view of Heart Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photo / 123RF

Following the travel chaos and flooding wrought by Cyclone Jasper, Cairns International Airport is back open and Kiwis are being encouraged not to cancel Christmas travel plans.

Local tourism body Tourism Tropical North Queensland has said the cyclone has already cost the region $64 million in lost bookings.

However despite the flash-flooding experienced by the region, just a week before Christmas, most operators and accommodation businesses were already back open.

CEO of the tourism board Mark Olsen said it was vital the region did not lose any further tourism revenue during this peak period for travel.

“We are very concerned about the lack of bookings that would normally be coming in now for January and the level of cancellations that we are seeing for January,” he said.

Planes were partially submerged in floodwaters at Cairns Airport. Photo / Facebook / Joseph Dietz

While the main roads between Cairns and Port Douglas are currently replaced by a boat link, Olsen said accommodation and the Barrier Reef and Daintree Forest tour operators were welcoming visitors this week.

The current dip in forward bookings represented around $135m over December and January or 15 to 20 per cent of total expenditure.

“Contact your accommodation provider to check they are open for business and please continue with your plans for a summer holiday in the tropics,” said Olsen.

Sunday Afternoon vs Today - Cairns Airport is back in business! ✈️ 🙌 Thanks to the great work of our team and wider airport community, passengers are arriving at Cairns Airport, including this Qantas service from Brisbane 👏 For our fellow avgeeks out there, this flight (QF708) was the 8th most tracked flight in the world on FlightRadar24 at time of landing. Thanks again to everyone for your patience and support 🫶🏻 Tourism Tropical North Queensland Advance Cairns Cairns Chamber of Commerce Visit Port Douglas & Daintree Cairns Regional Council

Posted by Cairns Airport on Monday, December 18, 2023

Cairns Airport Christmas miracle

Cairns International Airport, which suspended flights at the beginning of the week, was back open on Tuesday.

Despite dramatic images of submerged planes on the runway the cleanup operation did not miss a beat.

On Tuesday, December 19, the airport said it was “pleased this morning to further confirm that the Cairns Airport runway is clear and serviceable,” although airlines would be determining their own service schedules.

December records for rainfall were broken across the state according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

Port Douglas, Cairns and Cooktown set new highs and the Daintree river peaked at almost 15m, two metres higher than the previous record.