Tourism Events Queensland has signed a three-year marketing deal with Qantas worth $12 million to promote tourist destinations of Queensland to the world.

The Tourism and Transport Forum says the Qantas deal is a major boost to the tourism industry. Deputy Chief Executive for the Tourism Forum Trent Zimmerman says the deal will also benefit the tourism industry in the region.

Mr Zimmerman said the $12-million deal will boost Queensland's international profile and bring in more visitors to the state. Qantas is the biggest and most important airline in Queensland. The deal will connect tourists who are going to Queensland to Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and further north of Australia.

The $12-million deal is the largest of its kind in the history of Queensland. The Quantas deal will help shine a bigger spotlight on Queensland and its popular tourist attractions.

Qantas has shown it is committed to giving money to the coffers of states with the $12-million deal with Queensland. The biggest airline in the state skipped a deal with Tourism Australia to finalise negotiations with the state government.

Since the airline's $15-million NSW deal in April, Qantas said it is willing to contribute $6 million to promote Queensland to tourists. The amount will be matched by the state, bringing the total investment to $12 million for Queensland's tourism industry.

The decision to allocate funds to the state instead of Tourism Australia was made following a severing of relations between current Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce and his former boss, Geoff Dixon, in 2012. Mr Joyce demanded that Mr Dixon should step down as chairman of Tourism Australia or keep away from high-profile investors who want Qantas to change its strategic decision since last year

Qantas is still under negotiations with other state governments regarding tourism marketing funds. It is expected that another partnership will be made public by next week. The $30-million deal with NSW's tourism board will still be Quantas' largest deal.

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