The Reef begins in Bundaberg – and the Region’s tourism industry are ensuring the world knows, as Bundaberg Tourism (BT) leads a delegation of tourism operators to the nation’s largest tourism export marketplace, Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE).
Across six days from Saturday 26 April – Thursday 1 May, BT and industry will meet with more than 700 travel buyers and media from around the world to promote the destination and secure international business opportunities.
The event, held in Brisbane in 2025, commenced with two days of media engagements from Saturday 26 April, where Bundaberg Tourism and Lady Musgrave Experience pitched stories about the destination to 68 Australian and international journalists across 21 one-on-one meetings and networking functions.
Monday 28 April saw the commencement of four days of business-to-business meetings with trade buyers, as Bundaberg Tourism, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, Lady Musgrave Experience, Splitters Farm, Taribelang Bunda Cultural Tours and Turtle Sands promote the region and lock in contracts that will see domestic and international travellers booking holidays in the region in the coming years.
The Bundaberg Region was issued an exclusive invitation by Tourism Australia to participate in a national Agritourism activation within ATE on Wednesday 30 April and Thursday 1 May.
Highlighting the top Australian regions for agricultural-aligned tourism experiences, the Bundaberg Tourism team will meet with buyers interested in opening new holiday opportunities to their markets to showcase the Region’s emerging culinary experiences across our food bowl.
Katherine Reid, CEO of Bundaberg Tourism said, “Tourism is a major employer, a vital regional industry, and a high-value export earner, pumping considerable economic value back into our community.
“Export events like ATE are an important part of expanding Bundaberg’s profile and desirability as a holiday destination across Australia and the world, and BT is proud to again lead a delegation of industry to the event.
“ATE is just one part of BT’s annual trade development program, which includes sales missions and events, partnerships, training and mentoring, in-region famils and marketing opportunities for our members.”
Vicki Mullins, Sales/Marketing Manager of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort said, “International distribution is vital to the success of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort—not only for driving visitation, but also for raising global awareness of the Southern Great Barrier Reef and the importance of protecting this unique ecosystem.
“Events like ATE are key to establishing and strengthening partnerships that help put our SGBR region on the world stage, and we’re proud to showcase the Bundaberg Region’s incredible natural assets to international markets.”
Bundaberg’s participation in ATE is supported by in-region visits by multiple buyer delegations before and after the event, hosted by industry and Bundaberg Tourism in partnership with Tourism Australia and Tourism & Events Queensland. Bundaberg has participated in ATE thanks to funding from Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program, a fund that supports Australian businesses to grow their exports in international markets, through our SGBR partnership. These grants encourage small to medium enterprises to market and promote their goods and services globally.
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About the Australian Tourism Exchange 2025 (ATE25)
The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE25) is the Australian tourism industry’s largest annual business-to-business event, brings together Australian tourism businesses with global distribution partners to conduct scheduled business appointments and participate in key networking events. In 2025, the event is being held in Brisbane/Meanjin from Sunday 27 April and Thursday 1 May in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland, with support from Brisbane Economic Development Agency, and will welcome around 1,500 Australian seller delegates and 700 buyer delegates from over 30 countries ATE25 will also provide international buyers with the opportunity to experience Australia’s tourism offerings first-hand through pre- and post-event familiarisations.
For media information please contact:
Ellie Traynor
Marketing Manager
Bundaberg Tourism
0400 432 366
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