Gold Coast Tourism opens Asian office

The February opening closely follows the Gold Coast's strong showing in the CEI Asia Pacific 2005 Annual Survey, where it was voted the second most-popular Asia Pacific CEI resort destination. The new office is based in Singapore and serves Southeast and North Asia. Heading the office is Gold Coast Tourism's associate director of business tourism in Asia, Julie Beattie. Beattie brings 20 years' tourism experience to the position, the last eight of which have been in Asia. Gold Coast Tourism CEO Pavan Bhatia said: "Business visitor numbers to the Gold Coast jumped by 20.9% for the year ending September 2005. "This is due to its diverse environment, wide selection of unique experiences and state-ofthe- art facilities." He added: "New offices in both Singapore and Sydney have delivered a greater in-market presence and capacity to engage with trade and business travellers locally." Business tourism director Sandra Passaro said: "Australia is an aspirational destination for many Asian corporates. She added: "The Gold Coast's 300 days of sunshine and diverse entertainment options are strong draws for meetings and incentives groups."