Townsville gets a new riverside lifestyle precinct

 

Townsville has welcomed a new riverfront dining and events precinct with a range of indoor and outdoor spaces.

Flinders Street Wharves sees an 1895 heritage building re-created as a multi-level hospitality and entertainment destination.

Set to create 120 local jobs and welcome more than 350,000 visitors in its first 12 months, the new venue is expected to inject around $6 million into Townsville’s economy.

Designed to host up to 1,000 guests, Flinders Street Wharves is aimed at drawing people in from morning coffees to sunset drinks and long evenings by the water.

Lisa Woolfe, Townsville Enterprise director for visitor economy and marketing, said the project demonstrated strong confidence in Townsville’s growing visitor economy.

“Congratulations to the Flinders Street Wharves team on opening Townsville’s newest waterfront icon," she said.

"Not only have they invested into our city by revitalising an 1895 heritage building, but they’ve created an inviting multi-level hospitality and entertainment destination that will leave a lasting legacy for locals and visitors to enjoy.

“Flinders Street Wharves elevates our city’s waterfront experiences and offerings, adds vibrancy to the CBD and reinforces why Townsville is becoming a must-visit destination in North Queensland.

"This project also reflects the growing confidence investors have in Townsville’s hospitality and tourism landscape.

“We can’t wait to see the community get behind this incredible new venue and make the most of it over the Christmas and New Year period.”

Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto welcomed the opening of the city's newest waterfront venues.

“Flinders Street Wharves represents so much more than Townsville’s newest dining establishment - this $30 million investment represents confidence, employment opportunities and growth for our city and I congratulate all those involved in bringing this vision to life," he said.

“Not only is it terrific to see people backing this kind of investment and putting faith in our city, but it is wonderful to see developers integrating seamlessly into Council’s Flinders St East boardwalk and activating what is envisaged to one day play a key linkage from the stadium to the Strand.”

Flinders Street Wharves co-owner Grant Morgan said the project had been several years in the making.

“We are incredibly proud to deliver a destination where locals can celebrate the best of their city and visitors can experience a new, vibrant tourism offering in North Queensland.”

The venue will operate seven days per week, from 6am until midnight Sundays through to Thursdays and 6am until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Docks and marine tourism hub will open later this summer.

Thai tourism resorts ready for late holiday nights

With the Christmas holiday period on the horizon, Thailand is taking new measures it hopes will boost in-bound tourism numbers.

Thai authorities have allowed extended hours at bars, clubs and other entertainment venues in select tourist areas including in Phuket, Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui.

Even though previous closing hours were widely flouted, venues will now be allowed to stay open for a further two hours until 4am.

The change comes into effect on December 15, in time for the festive season, Travel Mole reports.

It comes on the back of other Thailand tourism measures to lure more travellers, including offering visa-free travel to major markets like China.

The Thailand Finance Ministry is also considering reducing taxes on beverages to increase consumption.

Bridging the gap: Sydney's night-time economy is bouncing back

On a recent visit to Sydney it was impressive to see restaurants busy and bustling - even early in the week.

An now data released this week by the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) has reported an uptick in Sydney’s night-time economy with a growing number of establishments across the city and a boost in overall sales turnover.

Notable increases were reported across the retail, accommodation, food, drink, leisure and entertainment sectors, highlighting an opportunity for more consumer-facing businesses to adjust their trading patterns to service the growing night-time demand.

The Measuring the Australian Night Time Economy Report covers the 2021-2022 financial year, and despite the impact of Covid restrictions during part of this period, reported encouraging results for Sydney’s night-time economy.

“It’s heartening to see the trajectory of these results as we want to keep our city safe, open and welcoming for everyone at all times of day,” Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore said.

“For years our communities have told us they want a vibrant night-time city where businesses big and small can flourish.

“The report highlights an opportunity for businesses to extend, improve or diversify their evening activities to support a more interesting and successful night-time economy.”

Of the 89 local government areas analysed in the report, Sydney hosts the highest density of night-time establishments per square kilometre in Australia.

Across the week, most businesses remain open at some point on a Thursday night, (particularly for late night shopping), and Friday and Saturday nights have the highest concentration of businesses operating in later hours from 9pm to 3am.

View the complete Measuring the Australian Night Time Economy Report here.

"Drink more alcohol" says politician

Hong Kong residents have been told they are not drinking enough.

With Hong Kong’s economy losing steam, the city state’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan is calling on locals to drink more on weekends at restaurants and bars to boost night-time economy, Chinese website Vino Joy reports.

Chan made his remarks at the opening ceremony of a summer festival.

“After having dinner afterward, remember to grab a few drinks before going home," he said. "Today is Saturday, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit late.

“Apart from having fun with friends and families, I also hope you can share this happy atmosphere in society. With a more positive social atmosphere, business will start booming too.”

This advice is part of the Hong Kong government’s latest push to revive Hong Kong’s once-bustling nightlife following the Covid pandemic.

The government has been in talks with several of the city’s leading property groups to encourage them to extend mall operation hours, hand out free alcohol and vouchers to encourage local spending.

Hong Kong’s dining sector, in particular, was hit by low demand and a drain of local customers who prefer dining and shopping in the cheaper nearby city Shenzhen, in mainland China.

Image: Roberto Moreno, Scop.io

Discover Canggu: Bali's new surf resort hotspot

So you want to party in Bali but find Kuta just a bit too full on; maybe a tad too bogan?

Canggu - a spot known only to surfers just a few years ago - is one of Bali's new tourism hotspots.

The small resort village close to Seminyak has become extremely popular with expats and digital nomads and is packed with bars, coffee shops and hip restaurants catering for western tastes.

Nearby Tanah Lot is a much-visited Hindu temple but Canggu's waves and nightlife are equally popular drawcards.

Canggu was the first base for a recent airasia Superapp and Archipelago International-hosted media trip, during which we stayed in the Aston Canggu Beach Resort. 

Opened in 2019, this is an ideal mid-priced place to stay for anyone looking for comfortable, well-situated accommodation close to the beach. 

Not five-star, but very comfortable with good rooms and facilities - and unfailingly smiling staff.

There are 40 superior rooms, 52 deluxe rooms and one suite.

There is an impressive  rooftop dining venue, UpZscale Sky Dining & Bar, which sits poolside and offers beach views. 

It is a perfect spot to take in the spectacular sunsets, and also serves excellent breakfasts.

Each room features a flat-screen TV (with ABC TV available), while some units offer a lounge area and have balconies or terraces. 

 

Private bathrooms are equipped with a shower, slippers, free toiletries and a hairdryer.

The surfing beach at Batu Bolong is two minutes away and Berawa Beach just a tad further, while cooking classes at the hotel are both fun and instructional. Bring your satay grilling skills home.  

The Ngurah Rai International Airport is around 10km away from the hotel, but the road can be congested at peak times. 

The hotel is bookable either through the airasia Superapp, or at https://astoncanggubeachresort.com-bali.com/en/

# The airasia Superapp is a one-stop travel platform offering flights with over 700 airlines, more than 900,000 hotel inventories worldwide, a ride-hailing service, culinary experiences, duty-free shopping platform and more. You can dsownload the airasia Superapp from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

# Archipelago International is south-east Asia's largest privately owned hospitality group, with more than 40,000 rooms and residences in over 200 locations. It has 11 brands including ASTON, Collection by ASTON, Alana, Huxley, Kamuela, Harper, Quest, Hotel NEO, fave, Nordic and Powered by ARCHIPELAGO. See https://www.archipelagointernational.com/  

# The writer was a guest of airasia Superapp and Archipelago International