MOVERS & SHAKERS
FROM THE SALE OF ICONIC COMPANIES TO THE EMERGENCE OF NEW POWERBROKERS, THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ONE OF IMMENSE CHANGE FOR THE FAR NORTH’S BUSINESS COMMUNITY. GENERALLY SPEAKING, CONFIDENCE IS RETURNING TO THE REGION AS TOURISM CONTINUES ITS GOLDEN RUN AND COMM
Several new faces have stepped into some of the most influential positions within the local business sector.
In March, Alex de Waal announced he was stepping down as chief executive of Tourism Tropical North Queensland after three years in the role.
He was eventually replaced by Pip Close, who moved to the Far North from Margaret River in Western Australia, where she was head of the wine region’s tourism body.
TTNQ’s longstanding chairman Max Shepherd retired this year with Port Douglas tourism identity Wendy Morris taking the reins in recent months.
At the Cairns Chamber of Commerce, chief executive Deb Hancock resigned to take up a new Perth-based role and she was replaced by city resident Debbie-Anne Bender (right).
More recently, former Cairns Mayor Kevin Byrne stepped down as Advance Cairns’ chief executive.
He was formally replaced last week by Nick Trompf, a former Advance Cairns board member and longstanding general manager of the Cairns Post. KEY CONNECTION: China Southern flies between Cairns and Guangzhou,
Passenger numbers at Cairns Airport are rising and so too is the region’s links to the world’s largest tourism market.
This year, the Far North secured arguably its biggest aviation coup in history.
Earlier this month, China Southern Airlines began direct services between Cairns and Guangzhou, a business hub in Southern China.
This was soon followed by another new China service, with Hainan Airlines now offering twice-weekly flights between Cairns and Shenzhen.
Together, the two major airlines are tipped to propel a new wave of Chinese visitation for the Far North.
One of the most high-profile business sales of the past 12 months came in mid-February, when Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort changed hands for a whopping $50 million.
The deal marked the end of a remarkable journey for the Olholm family, who had built the award-winning Woree venue over more than 30 years.
The resort is now owned and operated by Ingenia, an ASX-listed company with a large portfolio of holiday parks Australia-wide.
In the space of 18 months, Experience Co has come from being a skydive operator to an all-round Far North tourism heavyweight.
The ASX-listed company, which until recently was known as Skydive the Beach, has forked out well over $100 million for a host of well-known operations.
After buying Raging Thunder Adventures in 2016, Experience Co has this year snapped up Reef Magic Cruises, Great Barrier Reef Helicopters, Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises and Tropical Journeys.
If anyone has made their mark on Cairns over the past 12 months, it is a Syrian billionaire known as Ghassan Aboud.
Three new luxury hotels – known as the Crystalbrook Collection – are under construction, and plans for a fourth CBD development are set to be revealed next year.
His company, GA Group, has also splashed $100 million for Port Douglas’ marina, which is to receive another large-scale overhaul.
Come mid next year, up to 2000 people are expected to be working on the construction of the new Cairns hotels, which is being overseen by local company Prime Group.