Developers worldwide are being sought to put together a proposal for a new Gold Coast tourism hub encompassing luxury hotels, entertainment venues, convention space and high-end dining and retail, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today.
No firm location for the proposal has been identified as yet, with developers gifted carte blanche discretion until next month to locate a suitable area of land on which its proposals can be based.
Premier Palaszczuk said her vision was similar to that of Queen’s Wharf in the Brisbane CBD, on which multiple hotels and dozens of new restaurants were currently being constructed by Destination Brisbane Consortium in collaboration with The Star Entertainment Group, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium.
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the ambition of the new hub would be to lure at least an extra million tourists to the Gold Coast each year and create more than 6,000 local jobs.
Queensland’s decision last year to retain a second casino license had already attracted interest from developers, Jones said.
“In fact, this has been talked about for more than six years and we are determined to get the best outcome for the Gold Coast.”
Minister Jones added extensive consultation with the existing tourism industry, including local and state tourism bodies, Gold Coast Airport and the wider community, needed to take place to ensure any projects awarded were in the region’s best interests.
To do so, the government said it would set up a Gold Coast Tourism Advisory Panel, to be chaired by John Witheriff, which would advise the government through all stages of the process.
“I am looking forward to working with all parties including State Government and council to ensure that if an integrated resort development was to go ahead that it delivers the best outcome for Gold Coast residents,” Witheriff said.
“While tourism continues to grow, unless we invest in new opportunities, we risk losing market share,” City of Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate, commented.
“We’ve lobbied really hard to ensure the Palaszczuk Government honours this licence for the Gold Coast Community.
“We know a global tourism hub will support thousands of new jobs for Gold Coast and has the potential to take tourism to a whole new level.”