HAVE SAY ON SHAPE OF HUB
Survey and sketches to drive global tourism plan
THE State Government is hoping new sketches and an online survey will inspire ideas about what a Global Tourism Hub should look like. The public is now being asked for feedback to provide the project’s three proponents.
NEIGHBOURS of a potential billion-dollar casino development in the Cairns CBD have the chance to say exactly what they would love and hate about the project.
At least one business owners has called for the casino to actively target European visitors as well as Asian markets to maximise downstream profits for local traders.
The State Government has released an online survey and a series of sketches – the first vision of what the completed Global Tourism Hub could look like – to spark discussion from anyone and everyone interested in the development.
“We would like to ensure that the Tropical North Global Tourism Hub is quintessentially Queensland and a place that both locals and tourists will want to visit,” it says.
“As the Queensland Government moves into the next stage of the project, the design of the GTH will start to take shape.
“To assist the short-listed proponents in their design development over the coming months, the Queensland Government has prepared some sketch ideas to help shape the thinking of the short-listed proponents.
“Your feedback will be sent to the proponents to help them deliver an iconic GTH that is representative of Tropical North Queensland – relaxed, laid-back, outdoor with the underlying themes of the reef, rainforest and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.”
It also hints at a wide range of job openings under development, asking residents if they or anyone they know would like to work at the hub.
It breaks the waterfront ground-level area of the project down into four segments – expansive high-amenity community space and public facilities; boutique retail space; restaurants and bars; and entertainment, recreational and cultural space.
Cairns Electric Bicycles owner Anthony Van Duyn rents his Esplanade shopfront from Ports North.
He foresaw the proposed development across the road being financially beneficial to him, but argued special regard should be paid as to which international markets were targeted.
“My biggest concern is which language group is the target market,” he said.
“For people like me, the Chinese market is worth nothing, because it is all prepaid.
“Unless you are a primary or secondary marketer in the reef or rainforest, or maybe a third marketer in wildlife or something, you aren’t on any of the prepaid tour bookings.”
Mr Van Duyn believed foot traffic would translate into far more bike rentals if European customers were targeted.
“Those customers feel they have the liberty to try things and wing it a bit more,” he said.
“When it’s prepaid, they come in on a Chinese or Japanese airline, they’re picked up by their own bus service, they stay at a hotel owned by one of them, eat at restaurants owned by them and then fly out again.
“The only money we as a city make is if their bus breaks down and we have to fix it.”
The community consultation process closes on Friday, May 3.