A cricketing invite to paradise
Tourism Queensland has appointed former Australian Test cricketer and bowling coach of the Indian Premier League Chennai Super Kings team, Andy Bichel, as Tourism Ambassador for Tangalooma Island Resort.
Tourism & Events Queensland, along with Tangalooma Island Resort, recently hosted an interactive evening for the travel trade in Mumbai with legendary cricketer Andy Bichel to announce his appointment as the resort’s tourism ambassador.
Sharing memories of holidaying at Tangalooma Island Resort with family and friends, Bichel said, “I have spent many a sunny Queensland afternoons indulging in the resort’s popular activities of sand tobogganing, wreck-diving, whale-watching and quad biking. Now I wish to host a barbeque on the beach for all my Indian cricketer friends some day!”
Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort is spread over an area of 1.5 km along the coastline of the third-largest sand island in the world Moreton Island, in the Moreton Bay and Islands region, off Brisbane in Australia. Surrounded by both National Park and Marine Park, the Tangalooma Island Resort is a haven for seeing nature in a pristine environment.
Talking about the association with Andy Bichel, company director David James, said, “This partnership offers Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort a great opportunity to build its profile within the international tourism arena, particularly the Indian corporate and leisure markets, utilising Andy’s success as bowling coach to the Chennai Super Kings as well as his international cricketing career profile.”
The resort is easily accessible and only 70 minutes by express catamaran from Brisbane. It is rare that wild dolphins choose to swim regularly ashore to ‘meet’ people. Yet, every evening at sunset a pod of up to ten, local bottlenose dolphins swim to the beach in front of the resort where all guests can feed them.
Ross Gregory, Director (International) for Tourism & Events Queensland, said, “Queensland is a top destination choice for many Indians travelling to Australia and we have seen double digit growth year-on-year from this emerging market. Having Andy Bichel wave the flag for Tangalooma Island Resort which welcomes over 1,500 Indian guests annually to the resort will certainly help to further enhance interests in Queensland’s island experiences.”