HAPPY NEW YEAR
START OF 2017 CELEBRATING THE
STARING at the tarot cards splayed across his table, clairvoyant Christopher St John’s smiled as he foretold what 2017 held for the Far North.
“I’ve been saying for years the casino would never happen,” he said in reference to the revised $2 billion Aquis Yorkeys Knob hotel development proposal.
“But there are going to be a number of large projects.
“Certainly, for any of the trades like builders, things will get very busy for them in the next few years.”
The Cairns Night Market soothsayer said Mayor Bob Manning may have had a few difficulties but the cards said he was working hard at his job.
“There’s a bit of gossip here but he is just paying attention to details and trying to make it work without getting himself in too much trouble,” he said.
The Cairns Taipans are in for a good season, care of “someone with great ideas who’s going to be able to put them in a much better position”.
State Treasurer Curtis Pitt is similarly poised for triumph.
“There are some issues of feeling isolated or alienated from co-workers but it still says he can move forward successfully,” Mr St John said.
Mr St John was not alone in his predictions, but Sydneybased futurist Ross Dawson took a scientific approach to foretelling the city’s prospects.
Virtual reality headsets topped his list of new technologies that could transform the way Cairns tourism operators do business in 2017.
“There are a whole lot of virtual reality headsets coming out and the technology has advanced dramatically,” he said.
“It will have very important applications for tourism.
“People will be able to experience what Cairns is like, to see what it’s like on the Reef and experience the layout of their hotel rooms and what the view is like before they come.
“It will become very important to allow people around the world to experience just how fantastic it is to be in Cairns and the region around it.”
Mr St John said the cards also held dire warnings for the future.
“We’ve got a crash coming. A stock market readjustment much bigger than anyone can imagine,” he said.
“Certainly within 24 months, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s within the next 12 months when it occurs – maybe September.”
CERTAINLY, FOR ANY OF THE TRADES LIKE BUILDERS, THINGS WILL GET VERY BUSY FOR THEM IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS CHRISTOPHER ST JOHN