CIM NEWS MAGAZINE Issue 2 2017 | Page 4

PUBLISHER’S WORD Bouncing back M other Nature delivered a cruel blow to Far North Queensland, with Cyclone Debbie wreaking a path of destruction as she moved steadily down the East Coast. The Whitsundays copped the worst of it, with extensive damage across the islands. Daydream Island copped a battering, forcing it to close early as it brings forward its planned $50 million refurbishment, which is slated to finish mid-2018. But with true grit, the region is already looking at welcoming visitors back for Easter (as I write) after a massive clean-up. Residents, owners and council alike pitched in together and worked 24/7 in the clean-up, with the foreshore and beach areas, as well as the main street of Airlie Beach, the first priority. The timing couldn’t have been worse with famils lined up by Tourism Whitsundays to mirror Jetstar’s new direct service from Sydney to the Whitsundays. But with power back on and the clean-up in full swing it hopefully won’t be long before the islands can begin welcoming incentive and meeting groups back. The Whitsundays have been through this before and came back stronger than ever and I have no doubt that this beautiful part of Australia will be back at full speed. Published in Australia by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd Suite 202, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards 2065 P.O. Box 189, St Leonards 1590 ACN 147 436 280 ISSN 1039-1029 Website: www.cimmagazine.com PUBLISHER Alexandra Yeomans MANAGING EDITOR  Sheridan Randall JOURNALIST  Brittney Levinson ACCOUNT MANAGER Jon Van Daal DESIGN/PRODUCTION MANAGER Bin Zhou PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR John Gungon SALES & DIGITAL CO-ORDINATOR Grissel Ritchie ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT Kate Wilcox HEAD OFFICE – SYDNEY [phone] Creative Head Media Pty Ltd Fax: [phone] Email: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 yr $49; 2 yrs $86; 3 yrs $129 (inc. GST) Alexandra Yeomans, Publisher THIS ISSUE’S TOP STORY As international interest in Sydney continues to soar, new hotels are coming online and existing properties are reviving their offering to stay ahead of the game. See the full story on page 12. 4   Convention & Incentive Marketing, Issue 2, 2017    www.cimmagazine.com Copyright © 2017 Print Post Approved PP100008072 Opinions expressed by the contributors in this magazine are not the opinion of CIM. Letters to the editor are subject to editing. Nielsen Media Research July 2004 Readership 57,936 monthly Exclusive official publication for the PCO Association AMAA, CAB Total Distribution Audit 14,087 September 2016