Mayor Jenny Whitney said the overwhelming response by locals and people further afar is that the project will be a huge boost to the whole Whitsunday economy.

“Council launched the Building a Better Whitsunday campaign in August to promote the sale and
development of Council owned parcels of land to provide specific economic development
outcomes for the community,” she said.

“The $2.5 million received by Council for the sale of this land and the broader $300 million which
will be spent on the development will be of huge benefit to the local community.”

Chair of Whitsunday Marketing and Development Limited (WMDL) Jim Elder said this was a
significant commitment to the Whitsundays from Mr Raymond Wang and his China Australia
Entrepreneurs Association Incorporated (CAEAI) consortium.

“Investments such as this will provide a significant boost to the local economy and will reciprocate long term growth in the region,” Mr Elder said.

President of the CAEAI and Director of Whitsunday Chinatown Investment Pty Ltd Mr Raymond
Wang said the CAEAI and its partners propose to develop a $5 billion project that will include the
development of a significant Chinatown shopping, retail, commercial and office precinct.

“The $5 billion project will also include an international world class integrated resort, a Mt. Putuo
Buddhism Branch and hotel and the expansion of the Whitsunday Coast Airport,” Mr Wang said.

“The design and construction of the project will strictly accord to the environmental requirements
and town planning of the Queensland Government and the Whitsunday Regional Council.

“As we develop this project it will create up to 4,000 jobs, bring in hundreds of million dollars of
revenue, up to 1 million international tourists and 1 million domestic tourists per year,” he said.
President of the Airlie Beach Chamber of Commerce Tony Laurent said the $300 million
Chinatown development is going to be a huge boost to the local economy and a huge boost to
local business.

“The new development will complement the existing retail, entertainment and tourism services as well as giving us a new activity base for Airlie Beach,” Mr Laurent said.

“Families from the nearby regions like Townsville and Mackay including the western areas will now have an even better reason to visit.

“Together with the additional international travellers the Chinatown development will benefit the
whole Airlie Beach economy and we commend Mayor Whitney for making this happen.” he said.

Managing Director of Knight Frank Townsville Craig Stack said the Whitsunday Regional Council have not only tested the market for the best outcomes for the Airlie Town Centre site, but have promoted the region internationally.

“The recognition by the development community, particularly around Australia, that the Whitsunday region welcomes investment will hopefully enhance local employment over the next few years,” Mr Stack said.

“The attraction of another international investor to the Whitsundays is testament to the economic
opportunities in the Region and particularly to the quality of the community."

Ends

Like Whitsunday Regional Council on Facebook
For media enquiries, contact:
Kate Lennox, Communications Manager
Phone: 07 4945 0614, 0427 458 369 or Email: kate.lennox@whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au