Belgium uni graduates pave way for international tourism revival

Quadrant Australia director Colin Beckett said hotel agents in both Sydney and Cairns taking bookings for the 40-strong group from Flanders commented that theirs was the first large group they'd handled in two years.

"They were coming in March 2020 when COVID hit," he said. "They were refunded at the time but about 90 per cent of them decided to come when the borders reopened, even though they'd graduated."

Because two more cohorts had graduated in the meantime, there was a ready pool of people to dive into, to fill the vacancies.

Juggling the visit between the relaxation of Australia's borders to international travel, the schedules of those visiting, and respecting the needs of the properties and businesses being visited was a major task.

Tour manager Kees van Haasteren said they'd contacted everyone on their list in mid-February to let them know when the borders would be open and to ask what they were thinking.

"The decision was taken three weeks before their arrival," he said.

"We were very grateful to our agricultural hosts for their cooperation.

"We didn't know what might be possible but groups such as MLA and Kerwee Feedlot had protocols in place, that we could follow."

Everyone on the trip had to be double vaccinated, tested within 72 hours of flying to Australia, and take rapid antigen tests at the start and during the tour.

The 40 ag tourists also volunteered to undertake an unofficial isolation before they travelled.

"It helped that many of them were working on farms," Mr van Haasteren said.

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Because the group only had a small window of opportunity in which to visit Australia - after the snow had melted but before April 1 when they were preparing to plough their paddocks - it was a rush to get the tour organised.

Beginning in Sydney, they visited the wholesale fruit, vege and flower market before visiting the MLA office in the capital, then the large dairy operation run by the Leppington Pastoral Co at Bringelly.

The Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange at Carcoar was next on the list, along with the Charolais stud at Rosedale, near Blayney, and a sheep feedlot at Boree.

At Dubbo the group visited Fletcher's abattoir plus Elders and Nutrien stores, before heading to Moree and the CHS Broadbent grain storage and handling facility, and the Kurstjen family's dryland cropping operation.

Beefwood Farm's initiatives with soil moisture and autonomous tractors were visited, and Graham Clapham's dryland cropping, before the group headed to Queensland and the Kerwee feedlot at Jondaryan, and the Black family's dryland cropping at Brookstead.

The group then flew north to check out a redclaw crayfish operation on the Atherton Tableland, as well as avocado growers, and a cane farm outside Mossman.

A reef cruise was another highlight of the tour.

Mr Beckett said they'd been expecting a few knockbacks because of COVID fears and it was pleasing that this hadn't been the case.

"The people on the tour hadn't seen each other for a couple of years - it was party time most nights," he said. "Australia is seen as safe, especially to anyone in proximity to Russia and the Ukraine."

Mr Beckett said the company was hoping to start outbound tours as soon as it could.

"There's a group going to the Calgary Stampede in July - that will be our first major outbound tour."

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