Whitsundays resorts up for sale

Two Queensland resorts are up for sale in the Whitsundays as the region experiences a resurgence in tourism numbers.

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays Source: AAP

If you have a spare $20 million you can buy your own Great Barrier Reef island resort.

For sale signs are going up on Long Island Resort, seven kilometres off Queensland's coast, which has been closed for the past year for proposed renovations.

Club Crocodile Airlie Beach Resort on the state's mainland is also up for sale.

Long-time owner Ocean Hotels says it is selling the resorts after about two decades of ownership to focus on its Cairns cruise business.

This is not the first time Ocean Hotels has tried to sell Club Crocodile. It was on the market about five years ago when the region's tourism industry was hit hard by a high Australian dollar and the fallout from the global financial crisis.

Long Island Resort carries a price tag of up to $20 million, while Club Crocodile is expected to attract up to $9 million.

Commercial real estate agency CBRE Hotels expects the resorts to attract strong interest from international buyers, in particular cashed up Asian investors, due to a revival in the Whitsundays' tourism industry.

CBRE Hotels spokeswoman Hayley Manvell says conditions are favourable thanks to a softer Australian dollar which has boosted domestic and international tourist numbers, including a doubling in Chinese visitors.

"The Whitsundays is booming," Ms Manvell said.

"The lower Australian dollar is translating in record international tourist numbers."

Local real estate agent Christie Leet from PRD Nationwide said the region was attracting renewed investor interest with a surge in development site sales.

"Tourism demand in the Whitsundays has had a strong rebound with airport arrivals reaching record levels, noting that the Whitsunday Coast airport is now Australia's fastest growing airport," Ms Leet said.

The airport is set to become Queensland's sixth international airport this year with direct overseas charter services.

Long Island Resort has 172 rooms, two swimming pools, a tennis court, helipad, restaurant and bar, cafe, spa, gift shop, function room, mini-golf course, boat moorings and 41 staff lodging rooms.

Club Crocodile features 161 rooms close to the beachfront and recently underwent a $1.3 million refurbishment.


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Source: AAP



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