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

Monday September 30, 2002 85th Edition

Chinese political leader Li Peng paid a visit to Cairns this week, with all reports saying he had a pleasant time in the Far North. Cairns was a buzz during the weekend with the annual Boat show a huge success. And interesting projects are underway in the region with farmers taking up new opportunities to boost business by creating unique foods and wines using the North's exotic produce.

Chinese leader visits Cairns
Chinese political leader Li Peng visited Cairns last week, spending time at attractions such as Green Island, the Great Barrier Reef and Wildworld Animal Park. Mr Li, the National People's Congress chairman and the second most powerful politician in China, has spent a week in Australia, his visit coinciding with 30 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and China. Mr Li was full of praise for Cairns, saying he had found the surroundings beautiful.

Boat show a success
Over 20,000 peopled gathered for the inaugural Boating and Outdoor Adventure Show in Cairns over the weekend. The numbers were greater than expected, after the Festival Cairns finale and many football finals also being held over the weekend. Eighty exhibitors came from across Australia with a range of boats, accessories, fishing tackle and diving and camping equipment. The highlight of the show was the Supertank, a mobile aquarium filled with native sport fish, used to educate people on how fish react to lures.

Tourism growth tipped
Tourism in the Far North is predicted to grow 50 per cent within the next four years, which will create 20 000 new jobs and an extra $1 billion per year for the local economy. Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Bill Calderwood is planning to boost Far North tourist numbers to two million a year by 2006. "Our plan for the next four years is to see both domestic and international tourist arrivals grow 50 per cent on the current levels we have," Mr Calderwood said. Mr Calderwood said the outcomes were achievable with the extra airline seats that will be available by November.

Science congress to take place in Cairns
Cairns will play host to a major international congress that will attract 1500 leading scientists and $2.4 million into the Far North economy in July 2006. The Cairns and Region Convention Bureau confirmed the booking last week, with the city being the first in the southern hemisphere to host the International Mycological Congress on fungi research. The congress is to present an unprecedented opportunity for the North to promote its industries and network with overseas researchers.

New brochures on regions food trails
A series of brochures showcasing the region's new food trails has been released, making it easier to sample the Far North's tropical produce. The two new brochures - Taste of the Tropical Coast, from Cape Tribulation to Mission Beach, and Taste of the Tropical Tablelands, featuring Mareeba, Atherton, Eacham and Herberton, were launched in Cairns last week. Cairns Region Economic Development Corporation's Austrian Tropical Foods marketing manager Nola Craig said the food trails gave people a way to see foods grown and made in the Far North. "Australian Tropical Foods has created a new niche market in tourism that gives locals and tourists another reason to stay longer and enjoy the tropical flavours of the region," Ms Craig said.

New wines emerging
A local family are diversifying their sugar cane farming business into fruit wines after a series of poor cane seasons. The Berryman family have been experimenting with homegrown passionfruit and pawpaws and are ready for their first pressings. They aim to use their highest sugar yielding cane for a unique Far North brew, as well as adding wines made from bananas, pineapples and mangoes from local suppliers. In the future, they plan to produce wines of distinctive flavour from rare fruits like mangosteen and durian. Visitors will be able to taste the wines, local fruits and produce during their tour on the great Green Way Food Trail.