Townsville tourism on show as city hosts State of Origin

Townville’s “once-in-a-lifetime” chance to host the State of Origin series opener will be a huge boost to the region’s tourism industry, normally overshadowed by Cairns and the Whitsundays.

Townsville will use star power to sell the region’s tourism charms when the cowboy capital becomes centre of the rugby league universe next Wednesday night.

The city’s hotels and resorts are already selling out despite skyrocketing prices ahead of tickets going on sale on Wednesday while the State government has made no apologies for outbidding other states for the right to host the historic encounter.

State of Origin is among the highest-rating TV programs of the year, with an estimated audience of more than three million people expected to tune in across Australia and overseas for Townsville’s historic series opener.

It presents the region, often overlooked by the tourism charms further north around Cairns and further south in the Whitsundays, with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to highlight its tourism gems to a massive audience.

Mock ups of what the Queensland Country Bank Stadium will look like with additional seating. Picture: Queensland Government.

Townsville is being transformed into a heaving Origin cauldron, as 27,000 tickets go on sale on Wednesday with construction of temporary grandstands and fan zones throughout the city to take place over the coming days.

It is understood tourism leaders are working in conjunction with broadcaster Channel 9 to produce video content of the region’s top tourist attractions fronted by north Queensland celebrities.

League legend Johnathan Thurston, a Channel 9 commentator, a Tourism and Events Queensland board member and a passionate advocate for the construction of Queensland Country Bank Stadium, is rumoured to be involved in the promotions, which will run throughout the telecast to a captivated audience in the millions.

Advertising during top-rating sports programs is highly-coveted, with Tourism and Events Queensland using last year’s AFL grand final to produce a series of Super Bowl-style ads voiced by legendary sports commentator Bruce McAvaney.

Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith. Picture: Evan Morgan

Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said the historic moment would not only galvanise the community over the next week but would become ‘football folklore’ for years to come.

“This is without a doubt one of the biggest events to hit Townsville,” she said.

“The hosting rights is a major opportunity which we are not taking for granted.

“We are working closely with Tourism and Events Queensland and the North Queensland Cowboys to leverage this once in a lifetime opportunity to promote our stunning destination to a whole new audience.

“During the broadcast of the game Townsville be front and centre on a national and international stage – images of our region will be beamed into living rooms across the globe and into the minds of many who might be unfamiliar with all the incredible experiences we have on offer.”

Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and Treasurer Cameron Dick gear up for the big game. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Despite the excitement building towards a frenzy in the north, the state government has come under fire over claims they paid a “silly” amount to secure it.

Treasurer Cameron Dick yesterday refused to say whether the government spent less than the $7m that is expected to be pumped into the local economy.

“Every cent we’ve spent securing Origin I is a cent well spent for Queensland and you can’t underestimate the value of this to north Queensland, not just the economic impact but the social and cultural and sporting impact of having this iconic sporting game held in the north of our state,” he said.

Pressed on whether the government spent less than $7m, Mr Dick said he wasn’t going to tell competitor states what Queensland forked out.

“Every dollar we’ve spent is a dollar that we’re proud to have spent to support north Queensland,” he said.

NSW government sources claim Queensland spent about $8.3m securing the game, and claimed they didn’t want to offer that much because it couldn’t be justified to taxpayers.

However, Mr Dick dismissed the suggestion as typical NSW whinging.

“Whether it be on the footy field or whether it be in any other competition with Queensland, these are just the words of a bunch of sore losers,” he said.

Sources close to the process have told The Courier-Mail the state government paid just under $8 million to snare the game.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said more than $7m was expected to be pumped into the local economy because of the match.

Mr Dick said he would still consider it a win if the Maroons won the first match, but the expected return on investment wasn’t recorded.

He said Queenslanders were entitled to know how their money was spent, saying that’s why he would be delivering the State Budget in a fortnight.

However, he admitted the cost of securing the Origin game would not be included and Queenslanders would never find out just how much was spent.

“We do this all the time, we secure big events for Queensland, we attract companies to Queensland that create jobs and that’s important,” he said.

Originally published as Townsville tourism on show as city hosts State of Origin