Chat with tourism officials in Queensland, Australia, and Christchurch, New Zealand, and you're likely to hear the same message: "We are absolutely open for business."
However, this year didn't begin well for either destination. Floods struck Queens-land in December and January, killing 35 people and causing $10.5 billion worth of damage.
Then cyclone Yasi slammed into the region's northern coastline Feb. 2, strapping the northwestern Australian state with another $3 billion in damage.
Weeks later, on Feb. 22 in New Zealand, a 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake resulted in at least 180 deaths and a reported $6.7 billion price tag to rebuild the city's crippled central business district.
"We have a city of two halves," said Tim Hunter, chief executive for Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism. "
We have this western side that is functioning very well, so everything around the airport in terms of hotels, motels, retail malls and shopping is fine."
However, he said, a "significant" portion of the central business district is cordoned off. "The concern is that there are unstable buildings in there that need to be demolished, and there's no point in having people in that area if we're putting them at risk."
Authorities have placed restrictions on access to that section of central Christchurch, where many of the city's hotels, restaurants, bars and backpacker lodgings are located.
"It's just unfortunate for tourism that that's where the cultural hub of the city was, in terms of our heritage buildings, our museums, our galleries, our cathedral square," Hunter said.
International arrivals to Christchurch Airport, the longtime gateway to New Zealand's South Island, are down about 20% since the earthquake, but Hunter was quick to point out that the overwhelming majority of attractions outside the city center's restricted zone are going as strong as ever.
"Everything else is working perfectly normally," he said. "But the perception of a very shattered Christchurch has been out there on TV, and obviously some people think the South Island is broken and it can't be used for tourism purposes."
Queensland back on track
Across the Tasman Sea, Queensland has had a little more time to clean up, and as a result, just about all of the destination is back to business as usual.
"The place looks beautiful," said Anthony Hayes, CEO of Tourism Queensland. "But there was so much coverage that the perception in people's minds is, 'Oh, we're just going to stay away for six months and let them rebuild.' And we're trying to say to people, 'There's nothing to rebuild.'"
The Queensland product is, in fact, in such great shape that Hayes says regional officials are back to familiar challenges with potential U.S. visitors.
"Our strategy for the U.S. market isn't so much about reminding everybody that there were floods, and we're OK now," he said. "It's really about getting on with the business of saying, 'Hey, every time we do any research in the U.S. and ask you what's your dream destination, you all say Australia.' And then the next comment is, 'Oh, it's so far. It will probably kill me to get there.' Come on. It's three movies and a sleep and you're there."
Queensland tourism officials received some good news about U.S. airlift earlier this year when Qantas announced plans to offer nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Brisbane four times a week. Scheduled to begin May 16, Qantas will offer three-class service onboard a Boeing 747 from DFW to Brisbane and a return via Sydney to Dallas.
"This new service is great news for both Australian and American travelers," said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. "Flying to DFW is an important step for Qantas as we expand and improve our international services."
According to Anna Crispin, reservations and operations manager for Seattle-based South Pacific wholesaler Down Under Answers, the natural disasters in Queensland and Christchurch haven't affected bookings significantly.
"We're making a lot of adjustments to itineraries," she said. "But we're not seeing cancellations, and we're not seeing a downturn in business."
Crispin's advice to agents about Queensland and Christchurch: Keep selling both with confidence.
"These are two fantastic destinations," she said. "And they're both, I think, still very desirable for Americans."
For more, go to www.australia.com and www.newzealand.com.