As this absolutely amazing spring weather continues, it’s nice to enjoy our own ‘back yard’ and I have been managing to squeeze in a bit of hiking and boating with my family. We are so lucky to live in this magical place.
The great weather certainly put the icing on the cake with a bumper Chinese Golden Week topping off a solid school holiday period. With good visitor numbers reported, I congratulate proactive businesses like Fish D’Vine who employed Chinese speaking staff and make a genuine effort to welcome this very important market for us. We need to be doing whatever we can to give them a great experience. The rewards will come via the enormous Chinese social media network.
It’s always nice to be reminded of just what an amazing place we live in and the region’s most recent award does just that, with the Whitsunday Islands named the Best in Australia & South Pacific.
The prestigious Condé Nast Traveller 32nd annual Readers’ Choice Awards saw the Whitsunday Islands ranked number one of the Top 5 Islands in Australia & the South Pacific, beating some serious competition including Bora Bora, French Polynesia and Tahiti.
Speaking of awards, congratulations to Coral Sea Marina Resort for being recognised as one of the top nine marinas in the world, having been awarded Platinum 5 Gold Anchor accreditation. This is the highest possible level and is a stunning achievement for the team. The marina sets an extremely high standard and is a genuine asset and great advertisement for the region – demonstrating the quality of product available locally. It is something we can all be proud of, as visitors come down the hill approaching Airlie Beach and see the precinct stretching before them.
If you have a great idea for a business, Council has announced Round 2 of the Whitsunday Small Business Start-Up Program, targeting start-up business opportunities.The competitive grant program aims to attract and enable entrepreneurs to start up business activities in the Whitsundays, providing monetary funding to successful applicants up to $10,000 (to be matched by the applicant 50:50).Applications close November 14, 2019 – visit http://www.whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au/start-up-grant
And just around the corner is the Airlie Beach Festival of Music – an event that has very successfully helped to fill an otherwise dead weekend, traditionally.It was great to see so many people turn out for the launch party at the Whitsunday Sailing Club last Thursday. As businesses, we need to get behind the event as it has been proved, through research, that it draws people to town. And it’s a lot of fun!
As a Main Street trader myself, I know how alive the town feels throughout the whole weekend and how much we all benefit from the event.This and other events cement the Whitsundays’ standing as a world-class destination capable of delivering top notch events, so please support our volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes. There are plenty of opportunities. Email airliebeachfestivalofmusic@gmail.com for more information about how your business can get involved. There is lots going on and a positive vibe to the region. The foreshore will welcome markets back soon, Lake Proserpine is starting to buzz and many redevelopments are coming to fruition. What a great place to live and work!
Coral Sea Marina Resort has been recognised as one of the top nine marinas in the world.
Chamber Chat – Thursday, October 31, 2019