July 2010

Congratulations at official opening

Park splashes out on $1m interactive water feature

ABOUT 70 people attended the official opening of a Queensland caravan park's $1 million interactive water attraction.

Formally launching the SPLASH water feature at the 28-acre BIG4 Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort, Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive officer Daniel Gschwind congratulated everyone behind the development.

He said it was most encouraging and the fact that business at the five-star resort had grown over the previous year was testament to the owner's faith in Cairns' tourism.

Also present at the official opening were board members from BIG4 Holiday Parks and the Queensland Tourism Industry Council.

The manager of Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort, Lloyd Smith, opened the evening by thanking everyone for attending.

Resort owner Jenny Tonkin said that while many tourism operators were talking of doom and gloom, Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort was riding high thanks to the new water feature, which would hopefully make a real contribution to Queensland tourism by attracting guests from both interstate and overseas.

"Even though this investment is the largest we have undertaken, our visitor figures are in good growth ... seeing an increase of eight percent over the last year," she explained.

"We wanted to give new and repeat customers the best experience possible. It truly is one of a kind that we are very proud of and that we believe will benefit both the resort and the local area."

Acting chief executive officer of BIG4 Holiday Parks James Shearer believed the new water park was a great example of where the holiday park industry was heading.

"We are very proud to have Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort on board with BIG4 as it continues to push the boundaries of how people generally perceive holiday parks," he said.

"The industry is seeing more and more holiday parks grow from the basic caravan and camping sites to resort-style experiences where families can choose to camp or stay in luxury accommodation, usually amongst landscaped gardens and lagoon pools, with activities to keep the whole family entertained all holiday.

"The SPLASH water park is a clear example of this development, and will provide an even more enjoyable stay for guests and their families."