HUB FOR TOURISM
THE State Government has hinted that a proposed $1 billion “Global Tourism Hub” on the Cairns waterfront could be integrated with the planned $120 million expansion of the Cairns Convention Centre.
Today the government’s pop-up stall opens at Cairns Central shopping centre for residents to have their say.
The government has already indicated the preferred site is in the Cairns City Port precinct which encompasses the Ports North headquarters next to the convention centre as well as vacant land and car parking on Wharf Street between the Hilton Cairns hotel and the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal.
Cairns MP, Michael Healy, said the hub, including a second casino, needed to be within 70km of Cairns, but the port precinct was preferred.
“A Cairns Global Tourism Hub could integrate with the state’s expansion of the Cairns Convention Centre,” he said.
Mr Healy said residents’ input was wanted on plan, the first under the government’s Global Tourism Hub policy.
He said a similar example was in Brisbane where the existing casino operator had partnered with others to build the $3 billion Queen’s Wharf Brisbane integrated resort which is expected to attract an extra 1.4 million visitors a year after opening in 2022.
Mr Healy said government staff at the pop-up stall would help people fill out a questionnaire designed to help the state shape what would go to market.
The questionnaire asks if the hub should include five and six-star hotels, an “iconic world-class design”, gaming operations, restaurants and bars, open public space, retailing, the maintenance and enhancement of existing heritage links, indigenous opportunities and a leisure and entertainment precinct.
It also asks what benefits it should offer including new tourism ventures, jobs, improved patronage of existing restaurants and businesses, marine infrastructure, new public open spaces and “a more activated waterfront”.
The questionnaire is online at www.statedevelopment.qld. gov.au/major-projects.
The government started the GTH process with the release of a Registration of Interest (ROI) process in October last year which is still open and will be followed by an Expressions of Interest (EOI) process.