Brisbane’s Tourism boss has voiced concern over the city’s lack of permanent tourist attractions. Tourism Queensland head Anthony Hayes called Brisbane an events city. It has the ability to draw big crowds for sports fixtures, concerts and conferences, but beyond his he said, there is no excuse for tourists to visit.
This is no news to anybody in Brisbane. Three years ago a report was published recommending 10 new projects to bring in more visitors, but none of these projects have made it off the drawing board. According to the Courier Mail, the investment and infrastructure plan was supposed to help guide the State Government’s 10-year tourism strategy. Among the projects suggested, it called for two new five-star hotels and major piers in Brisbane, as well as an aquarium on Moreton Bay.
A lot of cash had been pumped into securing events, but permanent attractions continue to be overlooked. Hayes says this is in need of correcting at a time when interstate visitors have slipped by a quarter. Interstate people don’t think badly of the city, Hayes said, they just don’t think about it at all. He described Brisbane as a “new world city”, but without major attractions like the Gallery of Modern Art’s Surrealism exhibition there was no reason to visit.
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