The Gold Coast Bulletin

Tourism to lure yachts

- RYAN KEEN

THE Gold Coast superyacht lobbyists trying to clear red tape and get the sector flourishin­g have a powerful new ally in Tourism Australia.

Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said the national marketing body had identified the superyacht sector as a key part of the premium tourism economy.

Mr Sullivan said a Tourism Australia representa­tive would be going to the coming Monaco Yacht Show to help boost superyacht opportunit­ies.

“It’s one of the things we are looking at with local industry here, having seen the success of what New Zealand has done around that sector,” he said.

“We’re sending someone from Tourism Australia (to Monaco) to see what else we can be doing.”

His comments are music to the ears of local marine heavyweigh­ts aiming to promote the city and country as an untapped market for superyacht visitation and charters.

Gold Coast City Marina CEO Trenton Gay has been backed by Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt in lobbying the Federal Government to ease red tape and the GST cost burden on foreign-owned superyacht charters.

Mr O’Sullivan said it was a niche sector with a lot of potential.

“We’re the marketers. We’re not into lobbying the government on legislatio­n,” Mr O’Sullivan said. “But we do think it’s a sector as part of our premium strategy that we’d like to explore more.”

Foreign guests on superyacht­s spend $15,000 to $25,000 per day on land in Australia in the days before and after their cruise, a study has found.

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