Whitsundays’ bright future

THE recent re-opening of Hayman Island Resort (TD yesterday) is set to bring a major injection into the Whitsunday economy, as the region continues to recover from the devastation of Cyclone Debbie in 2017.

The island employs more than 250 staff and is managed by InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, with the property anticipated to attract luxury travellers to the region from around the globe.

Speaking at the official opening of the resort on Fri, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the road to restoration had been costly for Hayman and other properties affected by Debbie.

“Tourism is back in the Whitsundays,” she said, with more than 870,000 visitors recorded to Mar 2019.

The new resort is expected to pump $120 million into the Whitsundays economy every year, as a key support for tourism jobs in the region, Palaszczuk said.

The Queensland Government is investing $25 million in delivering the Great Barrier Reef Island Resorts Rejuvenation Program across 10 Whitsundays resorts.

The government partnered with the owners of Hayman Island to improve green technology, implementing energy efficient systems and improving the resort’s waste management.

Grew Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Hayman’s owner, Mulpha, said new waste reduction and recycling equipment is expected to remove 100,000 kilograms per annum of waste from landfill.

“Our intent is to not only provide a world-class guest experience but also to drive sustainability and improve resilience for the resort, evident through the installation of stateof-the-art in-room automation and building management systems which will greatly improve the energy efficiency of the resort,” Shaw said.