INVESTORS CHECKING IN FOR TOURISM BOUNCE BACK

SOUTHERNERS are voting in the Far North with their wallets in more ways than one. Record numbers of interstate visitors have generated $3bn for the year to March, according to Tourism Research Australia.

But it’s not just tourists – southern investors have their sights firmly set on accommodation assets in the region, with a flurry of investment activity and a focus on upgrades.

Experts say domestic tourists are leaning toward the luxury end of the market as they ditch traditional trips to places like Bali and Thailand in favour of a holiday in the Far North.

The $400m investment by Syrian billionaire Ghassan Aboud in recent years in the lavish trio of Crystalbrook Collection hotels in Cairns has really paid dividends for the city, helping reposition it as a luxury destination.

The Rydges Plaza Hotel, bought for $11m in November 2020 by Cairns tycoon Adam Adams – who also built the $12m Oaks Hotel on the Cairns Esplanade – is newly revamped as The Benson Hotel.

Pullman Cairns International, owned by the Shakespeare Property Group, has undergone a major refurbishment.

The Eco Village Mission Beach sold for $3m with the new owners planning to refurbish it into a boutique-style resort.

Many somewhat tired hotels, motels and hostels are set to be revamped – and while travellers are seeking an indulgent experience, they want to see an emphasis on sustainability in their hotel rooms. This is something Crystalbrook has excelled at, already removing single-use plastic.

Everyone is looking forward to the return of international travellers – but there’s $3bn worth of evidence interstate visitors are a vital market.

And investment activity across the Far North is most certainly a vote of confidence in the region’s future. Bronwyn Farr

Reporter

1566

French astrologer, physician and prophet Nostradamus (Michel de Nostredame) dies in Salon.

1644

At the Battle of Marston Moor, parliamentary forces have their first big win over the Royalists in the English Civil Wars.

1778

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swissborn French philosopher who introduced the concept of ”Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’’, dies insane in rural France.

1819

The Factory Act is passed in Britain, prohibiting employment of children under nine in textile factories, and preventing children under 16 from working more than 12 hours a day.

1900

The Zeppelin airship, held aloft by hydrogen, makes its maiden flight, over Lake Constance, Germany.

1937

US aviatrix Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Fred Noonan disappear over the central Pacific Ocean while trying to fly around the world.

1966

France sets off the first nuclear bomb at Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. It begins a series of tests which continues for 30 years.

1971

Evonne Goolagong (pictured), 19, beats defending champion Margaret Court, 27, a fellow Australian, 6-4, 6-1, in the Wimbledon women’s singles final.

1976

North and South Vietnam, divided since 1954, reunite to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

1994

Colombian soccer player Andres Escobar is slain in Medellin 10 days after he accidentally scored a goal against his team during a game against the US in a World Cup competition.

2002

Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world non-stop in a balloon as he crosses longitude 117 degrees east in the Great Australian Bight.