Fantasea quits Whitsundays
Great Barrier Reef icon Fanatsea Cruises, which carries more tan more than 500,000 guests each year, has pulled out of the Whitsundays. The company has been operating in the Whitsundays for over 30 years.
The decision does not affect other Fantasea operations in Townsville or Sydney.
Fantasea chief financial officer David Pollak blames the recent tourism and economic problems has made it unviable for two companies, Fantasea and Cruise Whitsundays to viably service the Airlie Beach and island areas.
Cruise Whitsundays has purchased the right to Fantasea’s Hamilton Island service, the two Reefworld platforms on Hardy Reef, the vessel Charmer and the land and marina holdings at Port of Airlie. The deal is expected to be finalised by 29 June.
Despite several tough years, tourism in the region has experienced a turnaround. The number of guests increased by 20% in the year ended March 2011.
Tourism Whitsunday chief executive officer Peter O’Reilly said, “There has been very challenging times for our tourism operators in recent years and it’s sad to see businesses making tough decisions like this. Fantasea has operated in the area for a very long time and is one of our most iconic tourism brands, so it is sad to see them close the doors.”
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