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Economic Ties Established with Cairns |
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Introductions and exchanges highlight morning meetings
February 4, 2008
(Cairns, Australia) Governor Felix P. Camacho this morning began relationships with several government and private industry leaders in Cairns to assist in tourism development, environmental protection, wastewater disposal technology, workforce training, a partnership with the University of Guam, infrastructure development and the management of the Guam Memorial Hospital.
"Now that we're establishing ties, we've found that there are many opportunities for both Guam and Australia to benefit," Governor Camacho said. "We had a very informative and productive exchange that led to major interest in investing and developing in Guam."
The Governor spent four hours in the morning meeting with delegations from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Advance Cairns, the economic development agency for the Tropical North Queensland region; the Cairns Chamber of Commerce; Tourism Tropical North Queensland, the region's association promoting environmentally-friendly tourism; the Cairns Port Authority; Cairns Water, a private company providing water and wastewater services to the region; James Cook University, Australia's leading marine science and ecology research university; ARUP, a national infrastructure developer; Cairns Private Hospital, the only private hospital in Cairns; and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Cairns is a coastline city in the North Queensland region with a population of 135,000. Tourism is its primary industry.
Meetings began with members of the Advance Cairns Board of Directors explaining opportunities in several industries and fields. Board member Professor Scott Bowman, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University, discussed JCU's successful and unique programs, which also are linked with Princeton and Duke universities in the U.S. Governor Camacho said he is very interested in linking JCU with the University of Guam, especially since UOG leads a strong marine biology program.
"I think an introduction by you would be a great way to start working with the University of Guam," Professor Bowman told Governor Camacho. The Governor said "It would be a great opportunity for our students to come here," with reference to JCU's medicine and health, tropical health and veterinary medicine programs, which are not offered in Guam.
"I'm excited about linking you two together," the Governor said of JCU and UOG.
The Governor also spoke with leaders from the Cairns Port Authority and Tourism Tropical North Queensland about expanding flights between Guam and Australia. In return, the Governor explained the tremendous opportunities for U.S. military servicemen stationed in Guam to visit Australia. The Governor explained that these opportunities will grow as the U.S. Marines relocation to Guam occurs.
Advance Cairns and the Cairns Chamber of Commerce, like the government of Guam, are pursuing the China outbound visitor market. Leaders from these organizations said they will look into marketing packages to Australia that includes leisurely stays in Guam and another Pacific destination. Governor Camacho said that if Guam receives a visa waiver program with China, he will invite Australia to take part in this opportunity.
"There can be certain developments in the future where Guam will serve as the hub for Chinese tourists coming to the Pacific," Governor Camacho said.
The Governor and Tourism Tropical North Queensland Destination Development Director John McIntyre then discussed Cairns' ability to balance economic development with environmental protection. "Coastal development in all forms are a concern," McIntyre said. "We are pushing for developers and permitters to follow best practices."
"In Guam, we are paying more attention to conservation and preservation, especially because we have limited resources and because what we do has an impact on our rich coral reefs," Governor Camacho said. "The reefs provide much of the cultural heritage and environmental quality that attract tourists and make Guam a unique destination."
The Governor said for Guam's part, the island is meeting the Micronesia Challenge of conserving 30 percent of near-shore resources. He suggested that Tourism Tropical North Queensland make a presentation of its efforts in Oceania to a meeting of the Micronesian Chief Executives Summit. McIntyre said he is eager to begin such a partnership with Australia's neighboring region.
"There's obviously a lot we can learn from Australia and I think there are opportunities for our region to work with you," Governor Camacho said. McIntyre agreed, saying that his group has some of the world's best research and science on terrestrial and marine conservation. "We want to be a hub for tropical environmental management," McIntyre said. "We will be very keen to work with you on tropical tourism sustainability.
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