25 Feb 2013
Words Tim Admin

Outcomes and Opportunities

Thank you for all the positive feedback on last issue’s cover story about family business. The Senate Committee has since tabled a weighty report, ‘Family Businesses in Australia – different and significant: why they shouldn’t be overlooked’. The main recommendation (one of 21) is to set up a new federal committee to identify policy issues for attention. Really, it just highlights how much more needs to be done. If you want to read the detail, you’ll find a copy of the report at www.fambiz.org.au. Meanwhile, my daughter Trudy (Resort Brokers Sales Manager) and I have been to the HICAP (Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific) Update in Singapore. It’s always a real ‘who’s who’ of our region’s hotel industry. We came away with a very positive impression. Relative to room rates and occupancies across Asia, Australia is holding up very well. It’s also great to catch up with what’s happening around the traps. Myanmar is enjoying a real tourism surge, thanks to big reforms underway there. Thailand’s Phuket remains a hotspot, and Bali is still flying. Almost 2.95 million foreign tourists visited Bali last year, up 4.3% on the year before. Aussies, still in love with this enchanting island, make up more than a quarter of that number. You’ll notice our centre spread showcases some affordable villas in Bali. I know the developers well. Investors in their last project, an adjacent courtyard hotel, are now reaping a net return of over 20%. Not bad for your own piece of paradise! Closer to home, many eyes are looking closely at investment opportunities in Australia. This month, our new series on hotel groups steps inside Swiss-Belhotel International. Big in Asia and the Middle East, this fast-growing group wants to expand its presence here. Chairman Gavin Faull explains why. There are certainly some great opportunities now across the whole accommodation spectrum in Australia – hotels, motels, holiday parks, and management rights. Inside, you’ll read my views on the need for more motels. The caravan park sector is the focus of our cover story, and features strongly in our popular series on the many faces of tourism and accommodation, which this month introduces you to Allan Walls, who’s been a leader in both park broking and operations. Resort Brokers has become increasingly involved in the caravan park market, and has been very active of late. In fact, in the last 6 months we have sold 7 caravan parks and, as you’ll see in these pages, more quality properties are currently listed. Finally, I wanted to mention off-the-plan management rights, which are again becoming a big part of our business. New developments, like Sea Pearl at Mooloolaba, Oshen in Yeppoon and Arena, just down the road from us here at South Brisbane, head our list of terrific off-the-plan opportunities. And more are in the pipeline. I think canny buyers should now be taking another good look at the Gold Coast. Despite a disappointing Easter due to some rough weather, it will always boast 30 kilometres of the world’s best white sandy beaches. Demand for Brisbane management rights has been high, so maybe it’s time to head down the highway! Good reading! There’s something for everyone in this issue. Please send your feedback to: carlacook@resortbrokers.com.au or PO Box 5004, West End Q 4101. COVER STORY: There aren’t many of us who don’t have heartwarming memories of holidays spent in a caravan park. So what made those holidays so special? Australians may have recently been venturing overseas more than ever before. But they are also returning to the simple pleasures … family, friends and good-time holidays in our own beautiful backyard.