The Australian state of Queensland has sold a 99-year lease on the Port of Brisbane to a consortium including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. In addition the buyer, Q Port Holdings, will take responsibility for future upgrades of section three of the Port of Brisbane Motorway, at an estimated cost of $200 million.

Tourism New South Wales has launched a new advertising campaign designed to encourage holidaymakers to dig beneath the surface of state capital Sydney. Entitled ‘Sydnicity’, the campaign seeks to illustrate what the city has to offer, beyond the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

The Australian hotel industry has rebounded strongly from the global financial crisis having recorded one of the highest percentages of occupancy globally and one of the largest percentage increases in revenue per available room (revPAR) for the year to May 2010, according to Deloitte.

FLIGHT Centre Limited predicts a surge in Australian travellers heading to North America.

Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has outlined plans to invest some $30 million in selling Australia as a tourism destination to Chinese travellers. The move is part of a $10 billion trade agreement between the two states and follows a visit by Chinese vice-president Xi Jinpeng to Australia over the weekend.

A cyclone off the Australian coast has seen tourists evacuated from the Great Barrier Reef. Holiday resorts on Heron Island and Lady Elliott Island have been emptied ahead of the storm, which is expected to make landfall over the weekend.