The industry employs 230,000 in Queensland and delivers 10 per cent of Queensland's jobs, more than agriculture and mining.

The tourism push has been noticeable ever since Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced 2019 was going to be the Year of Outback Tourism and the government has supported several local events such as the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo, Big Red Bash, Boulia Camel Races and the new and innovative Outback Golf Masters which took place over six towns in June and July.

I caught up with tourism minister Kate Jones at the Mount Isa Rodeo and she assured me that there several plans for what I called "Year of the Outback 2" on the Premier's desk.

Let's hope those plans are approved and I look forward to seeing what the powers-that-be come up with their vision for 2020 (I expect we will be hearing that phrase "2020 vision" a lot in the coming months...)

But it was interesting to talk to the CEO of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (the peak body for the industry) Daniel Gschwind who brought his board out for a meeting in Mount Isa this week and saw some of the local sights.

When I asked him about whether he was excited for "Year of the Outback 2" he said he was, but issued a note of caution.

Mr Gschwind said the industry needed to be sustainable.

"These ideas are all great but obviously they need to consider longevity," Mr Gschwind said.

"I have to give the state government a lot of credit, they have seriously invested in the Outback, there are real dollars supporting some of the attractions that have been redeveloped or newly emerged."

"That investment will last a lot longer than the Year of the Outback, whether we call it that next year or not, we have to maintain the momentum."

Mr Gschwind noted the difficulties of convincing people from the city to come to the Outback "you have to see it to understand it" and stressed the need to provide easy access while admitting the high air fares didn't help.

"This is a difficult issue, the airlines have to come to the party and as you build a bit more critical mass it becomes a lot more commercially viable," he said.

"People will travel enormous distances if there is something at the other end."

Build it and they will come, or Catch 22? Time will tell.

Derek Barry