FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef Chair Carrie Carter and member Pat McLoughlin, from Australian Super Yacht Services Queensland, will be heading to the 6th Annual Australian Tahiti Rendezvous at the Marina Taina Papeete on June 22, joining a strong contingent from the Australian super yacht industry.
Hosted by Superyacht Australia, the Rendezvous provides a series of networking events which give captains, crew and industry stakeholders the opportunity for an update on Australia’s capabilities, facilities, amazing tourism experiences and safe cruising grounds.
“So many vessels and crew come together for this event,” Ms Carter said. “It is an ideal platform on which to present the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef region.”
“Thanks to crucial funding provided by The Cairns Regional Council and Ports North, our attendance at this event ensures the Great Barrier Reef region continues to reap the rewards of a thriving superyacht industry.”
Last year the regions’ total income – generated directly from targeted superyachts in Tahiti that consequently visited Cairns – was $1.108M ($1.9M with forward bookings for this year).
The five-year total to date is $1.902M, seeing 2017 as the highest period of growth. (Ie: 2014-2016 = $883,333 in total economic benefit to the region.)
Ms Carter said 2018 is also shaping up to be a big year and the industry needs to take advantage of the many draw cards in our region in the coming years.
The potential is huge, with increased vessel numbers in the South Pacific due to the unfortunate cyclone damage to infrastructure in the Caribbean and Bahamas and a new breed of adventurous owners wanting to explore further afield from the usual “milk runs”. Vessels are now looking to a new safe cruising ground with all the offerings that the billionaire owners are looking for – pristine beaches, great diving, snorkelling and fishing, luxury resorts and exclusive, custom-made land tours to discover and experience the local culture. These vessels support a very large and diverse range of beneficiaries when they visit – tour operators, restauranteurs, provisioners, tradesmen, airports, shipyards and the list goes on.
“With the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019, Olympics in Japan in 2020, and the America’s Cup coming to New Zealand in 2021, there has never been a better opportunity to grow this lucrative industry,” she said.
This year’s Tahiti event comes on the back of the announcement by the Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick of the five-year Queensland Superyacht Strategy.
The Strategy aimed to “position Queensland as a key superyacht hub in the Asia Pacific by 2023, with 10 per cent more of the global market”, he said.
The Strategy will be headed up by Member for Cairns Michael Healy and will seek to reduce Federal Government red tape to expand the industry.
FOR MEDIA INFORMATION:
Joanne Drake
Manager
Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef
Ph: +61 458 794 001
Email: jdrake@superyachtgroup.com
