Operator News
Australia – Tropical North Global Tourism Hub in Cairns attracts 12 investors
By Phil - 31 January 2018More than 12 registrations of interest have so far been submitted to the Queensland State Government’s proposed $1bn Tropical North Global Tourism Hub (GTH) in Cairns, including some well known casino operators.
The location of the proposal on the waterfront in Wharf St includes four hectares of state-owned land close to the existing Reef Hotel Casino.
The government said the interest exceeded its expectations and that the companies involved were a mix of local, national and international brands.
Reef Casino Trust Executive Director Allan Tan confirmed that the trust, owners of the Reef Hotel Casino, had already pre-registered. However a spokesperson for Aquis Entertainment, owner of the casino in Canberra and the operator behind the failed Aquis integrated resort at Yorkeys Knob, said they were not interested in the latest proposal.
Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt said: “There’s genuine interest in the tropical north. This is a very positive sign and a vote of confidence in Cairns. The ‘global’ in Global Tourism Hubs is very deliberate and appropriate. I’m encouraged by the strong numbers and the fact that among those who showed interest were some of the world’s most recognisable names in international tourism and gaming.”
Mr Pitt said the focus was on tourism infrastructure as the primary driver – with the option of gaming – and the process may reveal interest for a second or expanded casino in Cairns.
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the fact that the preferred site was owned by the state would ‘fast-tracks site selection and approval, which has been a major stumbling block for other large-scale proposals in the past’ and that the project could ‘complement the state’s $176m expansion of the Cairns Convention Centre.’
“More tourists, staying longer and increasing their visitor spend equals new jobs and investment in Queensland,” she said. “We’ve seen the benefits of the $3bn Queen’s Wharf Brisbane project and a global tourism hub in Cairns would deliver much-needed tourism infrastructure for North Queensland.
“Cairns was identified as the first cab off the rank with the government’s Global Tourism Hub policy – a plan to secure new investment in world-class tourism infrastructure across Queensland,” she added. “While any tropical north global tourism hub, including a casino, could ultimately be inside a 70km radius of Cairns, the government has identified a preferred site – the Cairns City Port precinct. A global tourism hub in Cairns, if chosen, would integrate with the state’s project to expand the Cairns Convention Centre.”