Tropical North Queensland is one of the places most visitors to Australia have on their list. The Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree and the rainforest around Kuranda draw people from all over the country and the world, and Cairns is the gateway to all of it.
I have 20 stockists in the region, which makes it one of my busiest anywhere. It also looks different from most of my other regions, and that tells you something about how visitors shop up here.
Three kinds of visitor
Most visitors to the region come for one or more of three things:
- The reef. Day trips out to the Great Barrier Reef leave from Cairns and Port Douglas. Many reef visitors are international travellers or Australians on a big once-in-a-while holiday.
- The rainforest. Kuranda, the Daintree and the Atherton Tablelands draw people who want wildlife, scenery and something different from the beach.
- The holiday itself. Families, couples and winter escapees stay in Cairns, Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Mission Beach for the warm weather, and they browse.
On top of that, plenty of caravanners and touring drivers come through in the cooler southern months, heading up the coast or out towards Cooktown.
Wet season and dry season
Up north the calendar runs the other way to the south. The busy months are the dry season, roughly May to October, when the weather is warm, clear and comfortable. That’s when the reef trips, rainforest tours and winter escapes are in full swing.
The wet season, from about November to April, is hot, humid and much quieter. Summer school holidays still bring some families north, but it isn’t the peak it is in southern holiday towns.
For stores, that means getting the main order in and on the shelf before the dry season starts, then topping up the lines that move. In the wet, a tighter range keeps the shelves looking good without tying up cash. I’ve written more about this in my guide to tourist seasons.
Where my stockists are
| Area | Stockists |
|---|---|
| Cairns, Kuranda and the northern beaches (Yorkeys Knob, Clifton Beach) | 11 |
| Palm Cove and Wangetti | 2 |
| Port Douglas and Mossman | 2 |
| Cardwell | 2 |
| Mission Beach | 1 |
| Mareeba | 1 |
| Cooktown | 1 |
Here’s the interesting part. Across my whole client base, pharmacies and newsagencies outnumber gift shops. In Tropical North Queensland it’s the other way round. Gift and souvenir shops are my biggest group here, with 8 of the 20.
The rest is a real tourism-industry mix: travel and tourism companies, a wildlife park, a holiday park shop, a golf club and a golf retailer, a café with gifts, a pharmacy, a licensed post office and a few other independent retailers.
That tells me how strong the visitor trade is up here. There are enough tourists to support dedicated souvenir shops, and the businesses that run tours and attractions sell souvenirs too, because that’s where visitors are when they want to remember the day.
You can see every town on the stockist map.
What tends to sell
I’ll keep this general, because a reef tour company and a Kuranda gift shop serve quite different moments in someone’s trip. A few things suit the region well:
- Sun and beach gear. This is the tropics, and visitors arrive under-prepared for the sun. Hats of every kind, polarised sunglasses, rashies, towels and beach bags are natural sellers. Kato Designs covers all of these.
- Place names and themes. Cairns, Port Douglas, Kuranda and the reef, along with tropical wildlife themes, make the sale. Destination magnets, figurines and coasters from Local Bloke and Souvenirs Australia suit this well.
- Small, packable souvenirs. Many visitors here are flying, so keyrings, teaspoons, badges and magnets that fit in a suitcase are easy buys. Sundowner Souvenirs makes these, and can do custom ranges for attractions.
- Clothing and soft toys. Souvenir T-shirts and plush animals work in shops with space and a browsing crowd.
If you run a store
Whether you run a dedicated gift shop in Cairns, a shop at an attraction, or a pharmacy or post office that sees visitors every day, I can help you put together a range that suits your customers and your space, and get it ordered in time for the dry season.
Book a visit, ask for range advice or see the products I can bring you.
If you make or import a product
Tropical North Queensland is a strong market for souvenirs, sun gear and gifts, with dedicated gift shops, tour operators and attractions all buying. Because the north peaks in the dry season and the south in summer, a range sold right across my stockists in both markets can keep moving most of the year. I cover all of Australia, in most cases on commission and non-exclusive.
See how representation works, or get in touch about your range.