Palaszczuk’s tourism glut claims shot down

FAR North Queensland tourism operators have rejected claims from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that they were too full and incapable of dealing with any further influx of visitors.

At a business lunch in Brisbane yesterday the Queensland Premier said hotel operators were pleading with the Government not to organRESIDENTS ise any more flights.

“When I have been up in Far North Queensland they have said: “Premier, don’t send us any more international flights, we don’t have the accommodation to put people in’. So if there are any investors out there, think Cairns and Far North Queensland.

“They are at 100 per cent occupancy. Operators are telling me it’s the best tourism international season in 10 years. That’s just a small sample of what’s happening now, so imagine the next five to 10 years.’’

But Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Alex de Waal said, while there were periods of peak accommodation, it did not translate to 100 per cent, nor was there a lack of rooms to deal with the influx.

Mr de Waal (left) said TTNQ was working with a number of investors who had committed to new hotel infrastructure development, including Ghassan Aboud, a Dubaibased Syrian entrepreneur who is developing the Rydges Tradewinds hotel and a neighbouring property in Cairns.

But he rejected any suggestion that operators didn’t want more tourists or more flights.

“This is not true,’’ Mr de Waal said. “There are many periods of the year where significant accommodation stock is available across the entire TNQ region.

“The forward projections to 2020 indicate the potential for a shortage of accommodation during certain periods. However, this does not take into consideration the developments that are currently on the agenda.’’

He said direct services from China and a number of key priority markets were critical.