Events to highlight our city

THERE’S no doubt having the Commonwealth Games in Townsville is creating a buzz in the city.

It’s a unique opportunity that looks like it is being embraced by the community, businesses and Townsville City Council.

Yesterday basketballers arrived in the city ahead of the first pool games on Thursday at Townsville Stadium.

Hundreds of people will be here staying in our hotels, spending money at our restaurants and around town – and that’s locals, athletes and tourists.

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Commonwealth Games in Townsville and North Queensland.

The idea of having Festival 2018 attached to the Commonwealth Games is one of the best things about it.

Whether people are interested in sport or not they can still get involved.

Not only are things like this important for boosting the economy by helping small businesses but they create a sense of pride in living in the area.

This is something that’s incredibly important for regional areas and should not be underestimated.

If the city is able to put on events like these that cater for different groups and different types of people it can only be a good thing.

There is both anecdotal and factual evidence that show there is a “brain drain” in Townsville with young people leaving for various reasons.

Staging these sorts of events in the city will go some way to stopping people leaving.

Obviously it’s not going to fix the problem as sometimes there are different opportunities elsewhere but having a good lifestyle is something that should not be underestimated as a reason to stay or even a drawcard.

It’s something that is starting to be realised and is being taken on board.

With so much on over the next fortnight in Townsville and even more on the way as the weather cools, the other thing that’s important is that we embrace these events, otherwise they will be gone.