Cairns Airport has launched a major retail tender for the first time in 10 years following a $55 million transformation of its international terminal.
The wide-ranging Request for Tender (RFT) relates to multiple sites within both the international (T1) and domestic (T2) terminals, offering more than 2500sqm of space for duty free, retail, and food and beverage opportunities.
Cairns Airport is one of Oceania’s leading regional airports, and the seventh largest airport in Australia by passenger volume, welcoming more than five million each year.
It is also the world’s gateway to two natural UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites – the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics rainforests, which are key tourism drawcards. International passenger figures at Cairns Airport have recovered to levels not seen since 2008, servicing direct flights to Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Bali, Port Moresby and Fiji along with a strong domestic network covering capital cities and regions throughout Australia.
Chief executive officer Richard Barker said retail operators at Cairns Airport were exposed to an exciting mix of passengers, with enviable dwell times and some of the best performing Passenger Spend Rates (PSR) among Australian airports.
“Historically, we have always punched above our weight in terms of PSR, outperforming not only our peer regional airports but indeed many of the larger capital city ports,” Barker said.
“The overhaul of our international terminal has enhanced passenger facilities throughout the entire journey, including in the retail, dining and seating areas. These changes, including the creation of a central dwell zone, will enable 100 per cent passenger exposure across the entire retail offer, in a fresh and welcoming environment.
“Our domestic terminal underwent a major expansion in 2023, and it now boasts more than 3,700sqm of retail and dining space. A few select opportunities are also available in this highly desirable retail environment.
“We are inviting tenders from all interested parties, from individual store and category-level through to full master concession arrangements.”
The RFT features a swathe of desirable spaces across the two terminals, including:
- T1 departures and arrivals duty free concession, totalling 100sqm.
- T1 retail concessions including emporiums, boutiques and pop-ups, totalling 600sqm.
- T1 food and beverage concessions, more than 400sqm across multiple sites with options for hybrid retailing and optional licensed seating areas.
- T2 specialty retail concessions, totalling 275sqm.
- T2 landside food and beverage concession of 228sqm.
“This is a unique, dynamic and picturesque destination with a distinctive identity,” Barker added.
“We are seeking partners who can create compelling duty free, retail and dining offers that reflect the character of our region while providing the options, variety, and global brands expected in a leading travel retail environment.”
