Whitsundays set to receive massive investment in tourism infrastructure

The Whitsundays is set for a cash injection after the region was nominated to be part of a new push to drive tourism infrastructure investment.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones announced the development on Friday 24 February in Darwin, telling a tourism ministers’ meeting that the Whitsundays was a 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.

Visitation to the Whitsundays has seen record growth of 30 per cent. 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.

Craig Turner, CEO, Tourism Whitsundays

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”.

The five-year plan will scope local investment opportunities and target international investors.