Tourism Minister Kate Jones made the announcement on Friday February 24 in Darwin, telling a tourism ministers’ meeting that the Whitsundays was an iconic tourism region in Queensland primed for growth and investment.
The Whitsundays is the only Queensland region to be part of the national Regional Tourism Infrastructure Investment Attraction Strategy.
Tourism Whitsundays CEO Craig Turner said the announcement from the Minister was perfectly timed.
“Visitation to the Whitsundays has seen record growth of 30 per cent,” Mr Turner said.
“The commitment from our Tourism Minister and the Queensland Government is an investment that will see real financial return.
“The Whitsundays carried the greatest number of visitors to the Great Barrier Reef last financial year and we are on track this year to exceed 1 million visitors to the GBR Marine Park in the Whitsundays, for the first time ever.
“The size of the investment committed to the Whitsundays will generate jobs and prosperity for our region going forward.”
Ms Jones said the State Government would work with Austrade and Tourism Australia to “usher in a new era of tourism investment in the Whitsundays”.
“We want to do all we can to attract new investment to the Whitsundays including new hotels and resorts and new tourist attractions that will inspire more visitors to come to the region, grow the local economy and support more tourism jobs,” she said.
“That’s why I have nominated the Whitsundays to be front and centre of the Regional Tourism Infrastructure Investment Attraction Plan endorsed by tourism ministers today.”
The five-year plan will scope local investment opportunities and target international investors.
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