Five waves of charter flights, three-hour turnarounds of hotel rooms, and intimate Australian cultural and wildlife experiences were part of a seamless Amway Korea Leadership Seminar which wraps up this week after 22 days in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen said Cairns city had welcomed 2800 Amway Korea delegates arriving in five waves on 20 charter flights from November 17 to December 7 bringing a $13 million boost to the region’s economy.
“This incentive rewarding Amway’s top performers from South Korea has been a huge logistical exercise to ensure delegates are wowed by, what will be for many, their first taste of Australia,” he said.
“Back-to-back charter flights with Korean Air and Asiana Airlines brought the delegates to Cairns with the groups taking over Shangri-La, The Marina Cairns for more than three weeks.
“Up to 14 Tropic Wings coaches and five limousines a day transferred groups to tours, events and their business program at the Cairns Convention Centre.
“Each group had two full days of touring taking in the Atherton Tablelands, Kuranda, the Daintree, Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef enjoying wildlife experiences and nature, as well as golf and shopping.
“Fogarty Park alongside the hotel was transformed into a picnic-style festival for the afternoon of arrival allowing delegates to relax on deck chairs, listen to music, and enjoy customised mocktails and local gelato.
“They met local animals including a koala, python, crocodile and lizard and joined Indigenous workshops to learn how to paint and throw a boomerang, make jewellery and watch a didgeridoo demonstration.
“Hemingway’s Brewery hosted the welcome reception dinner with a band and fireworks, and the Cairns Convention Centre was the venue for the final night’s gala dinner with a stunning rainforest-themed entrance to the event, a band, dancers and aerialists.”
As the appointed local Destination Management Company for the Seminar, Arinex Chief Executive Officer Maree Di Pasquale said delivering truly unforgettable and authentic incentive experiences is Arinex’s specialty.
“For the Amway Korea Seminar, we worked closely with local Cairns suppliers, weaving rich Indigenous culture throughout the program with deep respect for the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji and Yirrganydji people, the traditional custodians,” she said.
“From interactive workshops to a fireworks spectacular set to Australian anthems in local Aboriginal languages, this program guaranteed delegates a profound Tropical North Queensland journey.
“Amway Korea’s thoughtful choices, which ensured the Seminar was highly sustainable, were perfectly aligned with the destination’s ethos and Arinex’s own values.”
Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns General Manager Golden Whitehead said additional staff had been added to the hotel’s team to smoothly manage the event’s 5536 room nights which included three-hour turnarounds of the rooms between the departure of one wave and the arrival of the next.
“We turned the rooms around in just three hours, did 900 breakfasts and then lunch for 450 at our events centre on the turnaround days,” he said.
“Our team was well prepared for this logistical challenge and has successfully managed hotel buyouts with other groups in the past including Amway China in 2018.
“We have three Korean chefs on staff and the event organisers were very happy after doing a tasting of the menu they proposed. Kimchi was shipped in but everything else was sourced locally.
“Shangri-La The Marina Cairns did many extras for the delegates including keepsake room keys designed especially for Amway, an arrival minibar, local toys as gifts and locally produced arrival hampers.”
Tourism Australia Acting Managing Director Robin Mack said business events, such as corporate incentives, are incredibly important to Australia’s visitor economy.
“There is strong competition for these high yielding incentive groups which is why we are incredibly proud the 2025 Amway Korea Leadership Seminar was secured with the help of Tourism Australia’s Bid Fund Program,” Mr Mack said.
“The Bid Fund has been helping to build a strong pipeline of future international business events over a number of years now and these continue to deliver significant benefits for destinations and businesses across the country.”
“We were delighted to welcome the 2025 Amway Korea incentive to Cairns. We know those who took part had an incredible time exploring Tropical North Queensland.”
Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said attracting high-yield business events to the state delivered significant community and economic benefits.
“We were thrilled to welcome 2800 Amway Korea delegates to the Cairns region to experience the best that tropical Queensland has to offer,” Minister Powell said.
“This cluster of events is anticipated to boost the state’s economy by $13 million, while simultaneously increasing our international reputation as an in-demand holiday destination.”
The 2025 Amway Korea Incentive is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia and Cairns Airport.
TTNQ Contact: Liz Inglis | [email protected] | 0419 643 494
