According to a media release from Tourism Queensland, a World Heritage centre, adventure cycle trail and a culinary tourism precinct are among projects considered a high priority for Tropical North Queensland, Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor announced today.

Mr Lawlor said 18 proposed tourism investment projects had been identified as part of the newly-released Tropical North Queensland Tourism Opportunity Plan (TOP).

"The purpose of the TOP is to provide direction for the sustainable development of tourism in Tropical North Queensland," Mr Lawlor said.  "The plan, which has been 18 months in the making, is an initiative of the State Government and has been produced by Tourism Queensland in collaboration with the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation and Tourism Tropical North Queensland".

"Tropical North Queensland is a vast region and the area has been broken into six tourism precincts for the purpose of this study.  "The most topical element of the TOP is the recommen dations for 18 'catalyst projects' across the region that focus on regional dispersal of visitors.

The 18 catalyst projects identified in the Tropical North Queensland TOP include:

• Cairns Arts, Cultural and Events Precinct
• Australian World Heritage Centre Cairns
• Port Douglas Waterfront Development
• Daintree Sustainable Tourism Gateway
• Welcome to Country Experience
• Education and Wellbeing Tourism
• Clump Point Safe Boat Haven
• Tablelands Adventure Cycle and Recreation Trails
• Barron Gorge Tourism Precinct
• Torres Strait Islands Experience
• Cape York Wilderness Experience
• Great Green Way Nature Trail
• TNQ Culinary Tourism
• Tablelands Accommodation
• Cooktown Port and Marina
• TNQ Drive Tourism Private Public Partnership
• Gulf Monsoon Centre
• Gulf Barramundi Program &a mp; Discovery Centre

Mr Lawlor said in addition to the 18 'catalyst projects' the TOP had also identified another 30 projects considered to be of regional significance and would create a range of investment and employment opportunities for the destination.

"The projects capture cultural, nature-based and educational experiences, from a proposed Clump Point Safe Boat Haven in the south through to the wilderness and cultural experiences of Cape York and the Torres Strait in the North and the Barramundi Centre to the west in the Gulf," he said.  "Both lists capture a combination of new ideas and significant projects that have emerged during the period over which the TOP has been developed".

"It's about bringing together a series of ideas and discussions that consider meeting the needs and expectations of future visitors to the Tropical North and gives focus to a series of key development opportunities for the region."

Parliamentary Secretar y for Tourism and Member for Barron River Steve Wettenhall said tourism was a major industry for Tropical North Queensland with domestic and international visitors spending more than $2.6 billion in the region in the year to March 2010.

"The industry is crucial to the region's economy, employing 20 percent of the workforce and supporting hundreds of businesses," he said.  "The development of the Tropical North Queensland TOP has involved extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders from the across the region".

"The region already features a wide variety of quality tourism products and experiences, but for the destination to continue to flourish it must explore new opportunities."

Other Far North MPs welcomed the plan.

Member for Cairns Desley Boyle: "This plan will help guide how public and private investment and infrastructure can be brought together to meet our needs looking forward to the years ahead."

"It will ensure o ur region's potential is realised while at the same time preserving the character and diversity that we love about it," she said.  "This is an exciting opportunity for the Tropical North and opens the door to a whole range of new possibilities across the broader region rather than just in Cairns."

Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt: "Tropical North Queensland was extremely reliant on tourism and as a result had been hard hit by the global economic downturn so to have a plan that will drive investment in the region and which will create jobs is a positive thing."

Member for Cook Jason O'Brien: "Tourism Queensland's focus over the past 18 months has been on hard-hitting tactical marketing campaigns aimed at driving bookings to the Tropical North," he said.  "Indications are for a gradual return in global economic confidence and as we look towards a brighter year ahead it's important that we shift our focus towards identifying new opportunities for the re gion to continue to grow and prosper."

Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Rob Giason said the plan was critical for the region's future direction and would hopefully deliver a focus from all levels of government, to work with industry investors to achieve our community vision of diversity, sustainable tourism and growth in key sectors such as events.

In the year ended March 2010 Tropical North Queensland welcomed more than 2.1 million international and domestic visitors to the region.

Editors Comments: This overall programme has huge benefits for the region and I applaud the immense efforts to build the list. However, I would like to see an even greater emphasis on the mechanics of ensuring our welcome visitors get a genuine tropical lifestyle holiday.  I always worry when holidaymakers fly into Cairns with high expectations of the tropical far north, when the reality that is delivered is a tropical 'metro' holiday.  With all the opportunities that these catalyst projects offer,  should we not now be spending some of our tourism dollars encouraging the visitors to drive a little further north up the Cook Highway to ensure they have a genuine tropical experience where everything is at their fingertips.  Port Douglas makes the ideal tropical lifestyle hub for this.