Tourism hub at key phase

A PROPOSAL to build a $1 billion “Global Tourism Hub” in Cairns has reached a critical moment.

Following a “registrations of interest” phase, during which we have been told that some serious international and national players have made submissions, today the Queensland Government has opened the “expressions of interest” stage.

This will sort out the men from the boys, so to speak, and require the proponents to show us the colour of their money.

The government won’t say how many and who the proponents are for probity reasons.

We do know the Reef Hotel Casino, as the incumbent casino operator, automatically moves into the EOI stage.

Others are said to include “big name” international casino brands.

They will be required “to demonstrate their vision, capability, capacity and experience to deliver the GTH.”

The preferred site is Ports North’s CityPort precinct encompassing Wharf St.

It’s clear the government wants the hub to encompass the $120 million Port of Cairns dredging and wharf upgrading project and a $176 million expansion of the city’s convention centre.

The government has revealed that the “proponents will need to demonstrate how their designs integrate with the port’s management of cargo and cruise ships.”

The Government is desperate to avoid a repeat of the Aquis integrated resort failure and is carefully managing the process.

The hub could be a game-changer for Cairns. Nick Dalton Deputy editor