A committee of over 500 tourism professionals, council and government representatives met to plan Brisbane’s tourism future through to 2031 with the aim of building Brisbane up as a globally recognised brand, reports hotelmanagement.com.au. 

The ‘Visitor Economy 2031 Vision for the Brisbane Region’ plan is a strategy that will aim to drive tourism expenditure, length of stay and overall numbers across various markets including major events, holiday makers, business travellers and those coming to the region to visit family and relatives.

One of the key strategies in the plan is a $10 million international marketing plan that will promote Brisbane to North America and Asian nations that are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which offer direct flights to Brisbane. 

Another strategy is to open the Brisbane River up for more tourism operators with the help of The Lord Mayor’s Experience Development Grant Program. The program provides grants of up to $10,000 to approved operators with the aim to encourage visitors to spend more time in the region.

Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner told the publication the plan is key to take the city to the next level. 

“Brisbane is transforming through $12 billion worth of new developments including Brisbane’s new runway, International Cruise Ship Terminal and Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

“Along with our region’s beautiful climate, welcoming nature and global connectedness, there is potential to secure an additional $6.5bn a year in visitor expenditure and support 50,000 new jobs.

“In Brisbane, we know there is more to see and do in our region than ever before, but now we need to work together to create a globally recognised Brisbane brand and remarkable experiences to give visitors even more reason to stay and spend in our region,” he added.

Brisbane Airport Corporation Chief Executive Officer Gert-Jan De Graaff told choosebrisbane.com.au there is exciting times ahead for Brisbane tourism.

“Brisbane is entering an era of extraordinary opportunity and Brisbane’s new runway is a catalytic investment that will enable significant growth in international visitors for decades to come,” he said. 

Hannah Schuhmann said the plan is very timely, as we all know how great Brisbane is, and it’s time the rest of the world does! With the new $1.3 billion airport runway opening next year and the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail now guaranteed; the city is putting together the pieces of the puzzle to prepare for a tourist influx which will follow upon the completion of big development projects including the $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf Development and the Brisbane Quarter to name but a few. 

The Domestic Terminal at Brisbane Airport is in the process of a $40 million redevelopment which will include a new food hall and world-class shopping, reports brisbanedevelopment.com.

The redevelopment will be concentrated around the Qantas and central terminal areas and is due for completion in late 2020. There will be 50+ new and refurbished stores, continuous free wifi, and new terminal bathroom and parent room amenities. 

For the foodies, there will be hawker-style outlets in the new ‘Food Collective’ precinct within the Qantas Café Court. New restaurants will include Ze Pickle, Upper West Side Deli, Yo! Sushi, Nippon Ramen and Mi Casa Burritos. This section of the development is expected to be operational next month. 

The international food hall contract has been awarded SSP Group for seven years. Asia Pacific CEO Mark Angela, told the Moodie Davitt Report said the revamp will ensure consumer choices are staying relevant. 

“Our intention is to create a welcoming environment that captures the true spirit of Brisbane. This is SSP’s largest commercial win in Australia to date and will cement our reputation in this important market,” Mr. Angela told the publication. 

Hannah Schuhmann said that at every turn we are seeing facilities in Brisbane being upgraded or improved in anticipation for big infrastructure that is coming to the city such as the new airport runway, Queen’s Wharf Development, Brisbane Quarter, and the Cross River Rail. Great timing, as visitation to the city is predicted to increase by 30% by 2020, plus, the south-east corner alone is expected to have a population of 5 million people by 2036. 

If you call Brisbane home, you are happier with your quality of life than residents in any other capital city in the nation, reports brisbanetimes.com.au.

The research was commissioned by Brisbane City Council and conducted by Kantar Public Australia, who surveyed 2404 people from various locations around Australia including Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and south-east Queensland.  

The quality of life rating for Brisbane came in at 93 percent, compared to Perth and Melbourne achieving 89 per cent, followed by Sydney at 76 per cent. 

Brisbane was also the star performer in the “good standard of living” results, with 91 per cent, followed by Perth at 84 per cent, Melbourne at 82 per cent and Sydney falling way behind with 71 per cent. 

Brisbane and south-east Queensland tied with around 75 per cent each in “reasonable cost of living." 

The best place to raise a family also saw Brisbane top the list. 

The survey comes as lord mayor Adrian Schrinner told the Committee for Brisbane if his inaugural State of the City address that the data will be used towards the new "Better Brisbane Index" which will be updated every 12 months. 

The lord mayor said while 93 per cent was a result to “proud of,” while we aren’t at 100 per cent, there is “always work to do.”

Hannah Schuhmann said it’s no wonder the results were so fabulous! With much loved events such as Riverfire on this weekend, and the great new spaces that are being created such a Howard Smith Wharves, it’s hard to top our great city.  

Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has proposed the Brisbane Metro Project be expanded to include the Brisbane Airport which will give regular airport visitors and workers a more cost-effective travel option, reports brisbanetimes.com.au.

As the proposed vehicles would run on wheels they could use current infrastructure such as the airport link tunnel to the airport. 

While the $944 million project hasn’t yet ‘broken ground’, the exact design of the final vehicles hasn’t been signed off, and a tender contract has not yet been awarded,  Cr Schrinner said there is no doubt the project will go ahead. 

“Brisbane Metro will happen. It’s fully funded, it’s not a question of if, but when,” he told the publication.

“We’re keen to get cracking on it but we’re also not just thinking about stage one and two. We’re thinking about stages three and four, and that includes options to go to Brisbane Airport,” said Cr Schrinner.

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff has unsurprisingly welcomed the suggestion of adding an airport stop to the new network.

“We have been very vocal about the need for similar investment in roads and public transport infrastructure between the airport and the city and region to ensure Brisbane is ready for the global opportunities coming our way,” Mr de Graaff told the publication.

The current timeline for the project shows first and second lines of project will be up and running around 2023, with the proposed airport line not until 2036. 

Hannah Schuhmann said a one way ticket from Roma Street to the domestic airport is around $20 with AirTrain, and Uber has recently joined the mix in airport travel choices. The more varied and economical options that are available can only be a good thing. Upgrades to travel infrastructure is so important, especially for a city like Brisbane which is well on the way to becoming a New World City. 

Brisbane’s office market is at pre-GFC highs with over $2.8 billion worth of transactions in Brisbane’s Golden Triangle over the past financial year, reports The Australian Financial Review.

Sales of five major office towers have occurred in the triangle in the last financial year, with five more now on the market.

The largest sale in the triangle district; which is considered to fall within the north side of Queen Street, Edwards Street and the Brisbane River; was 201 Charlotte Street for $126.7 million to Sydney-based investor Kyko Group. The 30-storey tower located at 66 Eagle Street is now currently on the market in its entirely for a rumoured $370 million.

It is anticipated that the 14-storey, 5700 square metre office tower at 410 Queen Street will be released to the market later in the month with a price tag of around $50 million.  

The article states the Golden Triangle is “punching above its weight” three major sales in the first half of the year.

“Of the 10 transactions in Brisbane’s Golden Triangle from the start of 2018 to the midpoint of 2019, 81 per cent of the volume was from foreign investors. That fits the broader trend that we are seeing in the national office market, where foreign investment in office property increased to 49 per cent in FY19,” Mr Byrne said.

With regards to the leasing of properties, some of Australia’s biggest landlords have invested in the area including Dexus, who owns 480 Queen Street, and a big project in the pipeline for Charter Hall and Investa who have plans to build a 40-storey building at 370 Queen Street.

Hannah Schuhmann said when office space is in demand,  residential property in excellent locations will follow. The ‘Felix’ building is in a prime location in the Golden Triangle on the corner of Mary and Edward, and opposite Waterfront Place. The apartment complex is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this flurry of activity, where buyers can purchase a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment for under $550,000.