A weekly re-cap of the events that have made news in Cairns over the past week.

Monday November 19, 2001 41st Edition

Cairns has recovered well from the events of September 11th. The tourism industry has reacted accordingly putting a number of emergency strategies into place, specifically targeting domestic tourism. Whilst there is no doubt that many local companies were hurt badly by the collapse of ANSETT, in true North Queensland spirit, the industry has banded together to work on solutions and not get bogged down in the negatives. The next 12 months look very exciting and whilst the face of travel may have changed significantly since September 11, the reality is that Cairns is one of the most magnificent cities in the world and people will always want to visit this truly tropical city and The Great Barrier Reef.

City braces for Korean Amway Convention
Due to start in just over a week, almost 4000 Korean delegates will be arriving in Cairns to partake in an Amway Convention. The delegates are all top achievers of the well known network marketing company. The Amway Convention is one of the largest ever held in Cairns and all inner city hotels are expected to be filled to capacity. The groups also have a number of large functions planned which will also prove challenging for the local industry. The financial boost that the Convention will provide is considerable, especially at a traditionally quiet time of year.

Tropical Walks considered some of the best in the world
The Tropical North Queensland Tourism industry is expected to play a major role in the development of World class rainforest walks in a strategy unveiled by the Wet Tropics Management Authority. The rainforests of North Queensland are considered some of the best in the world, due to their pristine nature and tight environmental controls and regulations. There are many unexplored areas of the World Heritage Rainforest that are still relatively accessible yet rarely visited.

These are the areas that will be developed with low impact walking tracks in the coming years with the development of 53 new walks in addition to an existing 148 walks. The main aim of the Authority is to provide low impact, accessible walking tracks of varying degrees of difficulty that will encourage visitors to the region to explore the diverse rainforests within the World Heritage Area.

Work begins on waterfront makeover
Work on the long awaited Cityport project is officially due to start this week. This project is the start of a major overhaul of the Cities waterfront area. The first work will be the bulldozing of the Fogarty Fountain - a feature in Cairns for over 35 years, even though the fountain has not worked for the past ten years. The works being conducted on the Esplanade are budgeted at $37 million and include the development of a new Reef Terminal to allow a facility for all Great Barrier Tour Operators to pick up and drop off passengers.

School leavers celebrate
Year 12 students around the country are celebrating their end of year and end of their school careers this week. For many this is the time between high school and university and for others it is the beginning of their working career. Schoolie Week is notorious for long celebrations and many parties, which in the past have caused some problems, particularly with alcohol and drugs. Various authorities have become involved in the Schoolies Celebrations to provide safe environments for the participants and increased awareness on how to celebrate safely.

In Cairns many tour operators have banded together to offer special deals for school leavers to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef, Green Island, Fitzroy Island, White Water Rafting and Cape Tribulation.

US Warship visits Cairns
The US Navy destroyer, USS John Paul Jones, arrived in Cairns last Friday. The vessel is expected to stay in the region for five days to give the crew of over 200, some time for rest and relaxation. The USS John Paul Jones was reportedly involved in the first wave of bombings in Afghanistan and it is the latest in a long line of American Navy vessels that have visited Cairns in the past 12 months.

Petrol prices continue to fall
In a pre Christmas bonus the price of petrol is expected to fall by up to five cents a litre. The price falls are expected within the week and come at a time when the people of Cairns begin gearing up for Christmas.

Taipans feel the heat
The Cairns Taipans received a rare lesson in humility on their home ground on Sunday night by losing 91 - 84 to the Wollongong Hawks. The less than impressive display by the Taipans was unusual as the team normally performs well on their home ground. The Taipans had no real answers to the targeted attack by the Hawks and despite the support of the crowd the Taipans were never real contenders in the match.