The Queensland state government is preparing to put its plans for a new large-scale integrated resort in the Australian coastal city of Cairns to the community for public consultation.
The plan, modelled on Brisbane’s AU$3 billion Queen’s Wharf project, forms part of the government’s Global Tourism Hub policy which aims to deliver widespread tourism infrastructure across the state.
If approved, Cairns would become home to a new integrated resort with a casino, hotels, fine dining and entertainment options as well as expansion of the Cairns Convention Center. Speaking to local media outlet Newsport Daily, Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones revealed the government had already chosen a preferred site for the development which would likely see Cairns issued with its second casino license alongside current license holder Reef Hotel Casino.
“While any tropical north global tourism hub, including a casino, could ultimately be inside a 70 kilometer radius of Cairns, the government has identified a preferred site – the Cairns City Port precinct,” Jones said, adding that the proposed development would be a major coup for the tropical Queensland city.
“More tourists, staying longer and increasing their visitor spend equals new jobs and investment in Queensland. We’ve seen the benefits of the AU$3 billion Queen’s Wharf Brisbane project and a global tourism hub in Cairns would deliver much needed tourism infrastructure for North Queensland. ”
However, Jones said that any such plans would only proceed following in-depth consultation with the community in the coming months. The government will also liaise with representatives of the local tourism, property and development industries.
The preferred site includes around four hectares of waterfront land already owned by the state government.
Although one option for the new development could simply be to expand the current Reef Hotel Casino, officials are known to be eyeing foreign investment and last year hosted senior representatives of Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp, which operates the hugely successful NagaWorld complex in the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh.
