Moreton Bay ferry bid to lure tourists
Article from:
Alison Sandy
February 19, 2008 11:00pm
A FERRY terminal in the Brisbane River linking Moreton Bay and the City has been mooted as part of a plan to make the region Australia's No. 1 eco-tourism attraction.
Several routes have been proposed involving public and private investment, which would take in major attractions including Moreton, North Stradbroke and Coochiemudlo islands.
The Brisbane Marketing proposal has the backing of state and local governments, but the aim is to secure private investment as well.
Invest Brisbane director Daniel Havas said the project had already proven popular.
"We have seen interest from investors both in Europe and the Middle East and would expect this interest to continue in-line with the increasingly large leisure market represented by these regions," he said.
Mr Havas said Moreton Bay was under-utilised, under-developed and inaccessible.
"The region is a world-class ecotourism destination, an incredible natural asset that is comparable with the Great Barrier Reef, in terms of diversity and quality of activities," he said.
Latest figures show Brisbane attracts about 14 million people from interstate and overseas each year, but most travel to the Gold or Sunshine coasts before Moreton Bay.
"With improved transport infrastructure, this would enable the region to more effectively take advantage of the lucrative day-trip and business tourism market," Mr Havas said.
He said Brisbane's popularity as a business destination was growing at a "phenomenal rate", with corporate guests up by 17 per cent in the past year.
Part of the proposal is to make use of existing Brisbane River CityCat services and terminals.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said he supported the project, but it was still in the early stages.
"I'm really excited about this," he said. "Moreton Bay is a wonderful place that could offer so much potential for sustainable tourism – it could really be a drawcard."
He said the proposal also had support of other mayors, including Don Seccombe in Redland Shire and Caboolture Shire's Joy Leishman.
"We've been working together on this project – we've had Brisbane Marketing assisting us in that," he said.
Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said Moreton Bay had long been overlooked as a significant tourism destination, but needed private investment for the plan to proceed.
"We believe there is a strong business case for commercial entrepreneurs to invest in Moreton Bay," she said.
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