Proposed Major Projects to Net $750m

 

A cruise ship terminal, cultural precinct and another casino would inject a staggering $750 million into the Gold Coast economy each year and create almost 11,000 jobs, according to a new report commissioned by Gold Coast Tourism.

The report, completed by tourism consultancy firm EC3 Global, shows the potential combination of three such projects -- all of which have been proposed by Mayor Tom Tate -- could provide the city with masses of money through direct visitor expenditure.

It is the first report of its kind produced since recent proposals for these projects were floated and shows the three developments would add another 10,700 jobs to the city's employment base.

While the tourism industry injected $4.6 billion into the economy last year, historical tourism data shows figures have remained flat in the past 15 years.

The Destination Performance Benchmark report shows the cruise ship industry could inject $180 million into the economy each year by 2020.

The Gold Coast could see 100 ships a year visit -- about 36 per cent of the Queensland ship visits.

Another casino could inject an additional $240 million a year from key markets including China, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The report also shows a world-class cultural precinct could pump $309 million into the economy and bring an additional 339,000 people to the city.

There has been extraordinary growth in cultural tourism, with Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane leading the way. On the Gold Coast, cultural visitor numbers have increased by 29 per cent since 2000, or 727,000 people.

Cr Tate is pushing ahead with plans to deliver a cruise ship terminal at the Broadwater by 2015, with the tender process expected to begin before Christmas.

The mayor has met with Premier Campbell Newman to discuss the projects and Mr Newman has publicly given his support for both the cultural precinct and terminal. 

Cr Tate said the report highlighted the strong case for pushing forward with his plan. "We are interested in presenting the facts. This report shows that these projects will create jobs, they will bring in tourists and they won't be white elephants," he said.
 

Gold Coast City Council last week revealed plans to embark on a major international design competition to draft an international-standard $280 million precinct.

Council wants to see a new arts museum, to revamp the Arts Centre Gold Coast and an outdoor artscape experience.

It is understood that both proposals could have a casino, with Cr Tate asking the state for two more licences