Business Events Sunshine Coast (BESC) hosted its first famil of conference organisers and agents from Southeast Asia recently.
BESC and Business Events Australia partnered to bring down the PCOs from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, with the nine PCOs returning home convinced that the Sunshine Coast was the perfect small group getaway.
While Singapore and Malaysia are already strong markets for leisure travel to the region, Indonesia is still emerging, and is considered to have great future potential according to BESC’s executive, Tiffany Beal.
“The PCOs weren’t fully aware of what the Sunshine Coast offered for conference and incentive groups, but after four days experiencing the region’s best soft adventure, food, wellness treatments and accommodation they returned home very impressed with the region’s rich diversity,” she said.
“They were looking for attractions and activities beyond the ‘normal’, and we certainly provided plenty of special moments such as having them breakfast with tigers at Australia Zoo, dining alfresco on the golden sands of Noosa, and 4WD driving on Fraser Island’s beaches.
“Renowned Cedar Creek Farm chef, Peter Wolfe, provided his services as private chef, and he took the group on a remarkable food trail around the Sunshine Coast that included tasting everything from seafood to feijoas.
“Food and dining are considered important ingredients for South East Asia incentive groups, so we showcased the region through a formal dinner at Spicers Clovelly, a degustation dinner at Wasabi and a seafood barbecue on the balcony of the Sebel Maroochydore that came with 180 degree views up and down the coast.”
Beal added that easy accessibility to the Sunshine Coast through Brisbane Airport was a major attraction for potential incentive groups arriving from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, with itineraries looking even better when options such as golf, watersports, and trekking were on offer.
