TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND
Catalyst for growth
Tropical North Queensland has got its mojo back, with new venues and products reinforcing why this region
is still a clear favourite for both domestic and international groups, writes Sheridan Randall.
“The Sheraton Mirage Port
Douglas has been a massive
catalyst for other development
in Port Douglas,” says Rosie
Douglas, director of business
events at Cairns & Great Barrier
Reef. You can read more about
the transformation of that iconic
resort in our cover story (page
8). But it’s true, there has been
a surge of activity following
the refurbishment of Sheraton
Mirage Port Douglas, with
new hotels coming online over
the next few years, including
speculation of a new QT in
Cairns, in place of the current
Rydges Tradewinds (you heard
it here first), a 3.5 star 250 room
hotel to be built next to the
Oasis Resort and a new Nova
City apartment complex. The
Shangri-La hotel The Marina and
Pullman Cairns International are
also looking at refurbs.
“Incentive enquiries from China
and North America are really
strong at the moment,” says
Douglas. “It’s part of that Sydney
Great Barrier Reef experience
that they want. It’s still on
the bucket list but for a whole
different audience.”
The event calendar is looking
very strong at the moment,
according to Douglas, with
the Rugby League World Cup
games, UCI Mountain Bike World
Championships and Netball’s
Queensland Cup all heading to
Cairns in 2017.
Tara Bennett, executive officer
at Tourism Port Douglas &
Daintree, agrees that this
year has been “firing on all
cylinders”.
Investment by local businesses
such as Quicksilver Group and
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures
in their product has been
matched by new faces such as
Hemingway's Brewery on the
new marina development.
“It has fabulous function space
upstairs and they can do full buy
outs for a capacity of 400, so it has
huge potential,” says Bennett of
Hemingway’s.
The steam train Ballyhooley,
which only used to run on
Sundays, is now operating all
wekk and can pick up groups
staying at the Sheraton Mirage
Port Douglas and deliver them
straight to the micro-brewery.
“It’s a few more fun things
to add, although the reef and
20 Convention & Incentive Marketing, Issue 8, 2016 www.cimmagazine.com
rainforest will always be the
dominant options,” she adds.
Indeed, it is the World Heritage
listed Daintree Rainforest and
Great Barrier Reef that bring
people to this part of the world
in their droves. In the Daintree
the Mossman Gorge Centre has
marked a very successful year
notching up an unmatched three
medals at the recent Queensland
Tourism Awards, taking home
gold in the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Tourism category.
“Everybody knows who we are
now,” says Marian McLeod,
business development manager
at the Indigenous eco-tourism
development centre which
gives visitors a taste of the
local Kuku Yalanji culture
through Dreamtime Gorge