Innovation key component to success

IT’S critical that businesses become innovative and creative to stay ahead of their rivals.

There’s no point keeping the status quo because inevitably it will lead to failure.

Businesses that themselves tend to prosper.

Owner-operators such as Patrick McLoughlin and Nikki Giumelli are good examples of innovation and creativity.

They brought their Bad Fishy jet boat thrill ride to Cairns 18

reinvent strive and months ago and it’s been a hit with tourists, visitors and locals.

They have also opened a Queensland and Cairns branch of Australian Superyacht Services, acting as agents for owners and captains of multi-million dollar luxury vessels calling into the city’s Marlin Marina.

Now they have bought one of the region’s longest established marine tourism operations, Cairns Boat Hire.

They plan to run all three enterprises from the high profile site at the entrance to A finger.

They are busy renovating the boat hire site, improving the management structure and upgrading the facilities as well as equipment.

Their aim is to run all three as five-star operations.

On the next page West Australian entrepreneur Sean Blocksidge emphasises that the tourism sector must embrace social media.

The Margaret River Discovery Company owner said digital media had turned around his business, which was heading for disaster.

He will be one of the keynote speakers at the News Corp Tourism Innovation Conference in Cairns in November.

The conference will show business operators how to be innovative and creative.