Mission Beach tourism: New tours and experiences needed, industry says
Millions of dollars are set to be spent sprucing up this Far Northern tourism destination, but even significant investments won’t resolve a crucial shortfall in the town’s offerings. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
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MILLIONS of dollars are set to be spent sprucing up this Far Northern tourism destination, but even significant investments won’t resolve a crucial shortfall in the town’s offerings.
Multiple resorts throughout Mission Beach have attracted the attention of foreign ownership and management, each buyer drawn to the Cassowary Coast for its natural rainforest and reef allure, as well as its economic potential, with expansion and refurbishments expected at all venues.
The prolific Elandra Resort at South Mission Beach is set to rise from the ashes, after the owners of Bedarra Island resort Sam Charlton and his wife Kerri-Ann purchased the cyclone-ravaged accommodation with plans to renovate and reopen in about a year’s time.
At the next beach along the coastline, new owners in January purchased the Bali Hai Holiday Park at Wongaling – a product of the Mayfair 101 sales defaults.
The park reopened to the public in April, after closing in about May last year and the new owners have plans of major refurbishments to be staged over multiple years, as well as leasing out the restaurant to a separate operator.
And further north, Eco Village was sold to a group of buyers from the Gold Coast for just under $2.7 million, settling last week, while Sanctuary Retreat at Garners Beach sold in January for just under $2.5 million as its new management transitions into a full time charge.
Executive officer of Cassowary Coast Tourism Patrick Bluett said speaking to the investors, their motivation was “quite simple”.
“They can just see the value in the assets they’re purchasing and they’ve got a lot of faith in the future of the Cassowary Coast,” Mr Bluett said.
He said just a short drive through the town revealed the accommodation sector was “doing well at the moment” but the long-term challenge was to improve tourism infrastructure to expand the region’s day activities and hospitality offerings.
“We’re a bit of a one-trick pony at the moment. Down the track we need to get a better mix of markets.”
Mr Bluett said one immediate fix needed to bring new operators to Mission Beach was an expansion of the newly built Clump Point Jetty, which opened in 2020.
“We’ve got other operators who want to relocate down here but the facilities just aren’t there such as shore to boat power and commercial berthing facilities.
“The council has recognised those changes are needed, and there’s a meeting planned in July with (Kennedy MP) Bob Katter and (Hill MP) Shane Knuth and talk about getting some mixed investment into the upgrades.
“And as we look to reactivate the Dunk Island spit, we really need to make sure we’ve got the operators to be able to take a capacity of tourists over there too.”
Mr Bluett said although Mission Beach did not want to become a Port Douglas or Airlie Beach, he said there were lessons the local tourism sector could learn from the major players.
“Irrespective of what you’d like to portray yourself as a destination, people still expect a level of service, and a level of food and beverage offerings.
“Do you wet want to become a party town? We want to become a place anyone can come to and enjoy themselves, so in an ideal world, some new bars and restaurants would be lovely.
“Once that area (Village Green Precinct) has been upgraded as part of the council’s beautification process, it will be a great hub with alfresco dining, shaded areas.”
Mr Bluett said the strategy from his end to attract new venues to town was to “welcome them with open arms.”
“Anyone who shows any interest in setting up here, we’ll hold their hand and open doors at council for them, that’s all we can do.
“But we also need to market the Cassowary Coast as whole, Cardwell, Kurrimine Beach and give an operator a sense that this really is a large viable region. They’re not just operating in Mission Beach, they’re operating in the region that is Cassowary Coast, and that will only give them confidence.”
One group already displaying its confidence was the new owners of Eco Village, Gold Coast’s Ben Davidson, Travis Whitmore and Jess Arcuri who planned on investing about $600,000 into upgrading the 17-villa resort.
Mr Davidson said the upgrades would include gutting and refurbishing all 17 villas to bring them up to standard by about June 2023, as well as reopening the restaurant.
“We’re trying to create a mid-tier property, Mission Beach has a lot of low-end and then top-end price points, so there’s nothing really in between the $200 and $1000 per night range.
“We’ve been talking with restaurateurs in town to work some sort of synergy out, the last thing we want to do is open a restaurant and take trade off the town.”
Mr Davidson who has about three years’ experience in accommodation, operating a resort at Lake Cathie, New South Wales said he believed Mission Beach was at a “turning point”.
“I think the attitude of the town has turned around from being a cyclone-bashed area to everyone being back on their feet and lots of new business owners, new blood coming in.”
New manager at Sanctuary Retreat Leah Anderson said the new Northern Rivers region-based owner was drawn to the resort which can accommodate 18 people due to its “connection with earth and nature,” and there was expansion planned.
“There’ll be more areas where we can host events and we’re looking at a deck that will look over the treetops and the water,” Ms Anderson said.
“This place is amazing, but it is 23-odd years old, so it’s ready for some new light. But (the new owner) does want to keep it connected to nature, there won’t be any shiny new buildings or anything like that.
“I don’t think we need to build Mission Beach like other towns, I think the identity of this place is that it’s so untouched, that’s the beauty and the drawcard. So I think we can still build more places for people to come, without taking away the fact it’s a sleepy village.”
Family’s visit proof Mission Beach scenery is town’s true drawcard
CENTRAL New South Wales’ Maclean family who recently spent a few nights at Mission Beach in a motorhome are testament to the town’s ability to draw tourists without expansive experiences.
But father of three Andy Maclean who took his wife and kids to Mission Beach Hideaway Holiday Village said a “couple more tours” would be nice.
The family of five from Orange toured the Far North including the Tablelands and Port Douglas before descending on Mission Beach in a motorhome they rented from Cairns, and arrived with set expectations.
“We did a nature walk in morning and it was lovely and some swimming at the beach, but we didn’t really come here expecting it to be like Port Douglas,” Mr Maclean said.
He said he decided to visit the seaside town because of its natural offerings and due to all other travel costs, wasn’t sure he would’ve partaken in too many paid experiences anyway.
“We were looking for a crocodile tour, and few options would be nice.
“But it’s not easy to get here, and the costs do add up. We did a few things around Port Douglas and for a family you’re end up paying well over $100 for most things.
“And then with the cost of fuel and hiring this van, this was more expensive than a resort we stayed at in Port Douglas.
“So it’s nice to come here and just enjoy the scenery and location a bit more.”
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Originally published as Mission Beach tourism: New tours and experiences needed, industry says
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