Region to tell a story
A NEW blueprint which will boost the economic impact of tourism on the Cassowary Coast has been created.
Cassowary Coast Regional Council councillor Ben Heath said the region had “never told its story” before and the draft strategy, in partnership with Tropical Coast Tourism, would guide the region’s tourism reinvigoration, a key component of economic growth.
“We’re going to focus on us, not everyone else. We’ve never told the story of the Cassowary Coast, we’ve talked about Great Barrier Reef and Cairns but we’ve got so much to offer,” he said.
“It’s about people who come to Cassowary Coast but also it’s about the people who live here.
“They’re the ambassadors for the region and we don’t realise how good we’ve got it.
“We have got the World Heritage-listed areas, islands, great fishing, art deco buildings. It’s also about the economic drivers, the agricultural industry.”
Mr Heath said the redevelopment of Castaways Resort at Mission Beach, the council’s push for the development of the Hinchinbrook harbour, five-star Bedarra Island resort as well as numerous caravan park and operators all offered something unique.
“The point of difference for us is it’s not mass tourism, its personal,” he said.
“And we’ve got a billboard strategy, we are a link between Cairns and Townsville, so we want people to stop and see what we have to offer.”
Mayor John Kremastos said tourism was a key sector of the Cassowary Coast’s economy and “pivotal to the region’s economic re-activation”.
“For some time now we have been focusing on just that, with the aim to have people rediscover our wonderful attractions, love the place we live, and coin our region as the next adventure capital of Australia,” he said.
“We have been working extremely hard with Tropical Coast Tourism and have recently completed a draft strategy which heralds an important milestone for both of us and the industry as a whole in that it represents a new era in collaboration with industry for regional plan making.
“This strategy outlines actions that will position the region as a place of choice for international and domestic tourists into the future, with TCT taking the lead as our key industry representative group.
“It also outlines what our strengths are and what we need to work on together to ensure this document becomes reality.
“This is exactly our vision as a council and we cannot wait to see this strategy come to life over the next couple of years.”