Packer Bets on Perth Crown

JAMES Packer continues to gamble heavily on luring Asian tourists to his Australian casino resorts, with Crown announcing plans yesterday to spend $568 million building a six-star hotel at its Perth casino. The deal with the West Australian government also includes a boost to its gambling facilities.
The announcement comes as Crown seeks permission from New South Wales and Queensland gaming regulators to lift its stake in Echo Entertainment from 10 per cent to 25 per cent.

The Echo investment is part of a plan to engage its local rival in a joint venture focused on Asian VIP gamblers. Crown intends to create a billion-dollar luxury destination at Sydney's harbour showpiece, Barangaroo, but needs Echo's casino licence - and money - to do it.

Crown announced yesterday it had an in-principle agreement to pay the WA government $60 million for land for the hotel development.

The government has agreed not to oppose an application for 500 additional gaming machines at the Perth casino and 130 additional gaming tables, according to Crown. The application will include plans for private VIP gambling salons.

The hotel, to be known as Crown Towers Perth, adds to the $2.2 billion Crown is spending on its two Australian casino resorts to attract Asian gamblers from the strong competition in Singapore and Macau.

''Our goal is to create an integrated resort capable of competing with the best in the Asian region,'' Mr Packer told a Perth audience late last year.

He has made no secret of the need to invest heavily in luxury accommodation and facilities to compete for China's lucrative tourists, who are displaying an appetite for travel, gourmet food and gambling.

A third of Crown's Australian revenue last year, about $800 million, was generated from international visitors.

Most of this revenue comes from high rollers and other international customers. But the recent opening of two casino resorts in Singapore has affected Crown's business, especially in Perth.

The increase in gambling facilities in Perth would be phased in over the next five years subject to the approval of the Gaming and Wagering Commission of Western Australia, Crown said.

Construction of the 500-room hotel on a property adjacent to the casino will begin early next year and take three years, according to Crown.

The development is expected to include restaurants, bars, resort and convention facilities.
The company's shares closed 2¢ higher at $8.47 yesterday.

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On Course for a Thrilling International Championship

Approximately $3.5million has been spent rebuilding the course since the international Johnnie Walker Classic was held at Lake Karrinyup back in 2003.  Holes have been both lengthened and shortened and every green and bunker has been rebuilt to enhance Lake Karrinyup’s world-class reputation.

Course architect and former European Tour player Mike Clayton said the quintessentially Australian golf course had its own character and would provide new challenges to players when they arrive in Perth for Australia’s richest golf event – the Perth International (18 to 21 October).

“Lake Karrinyup is a course that asks players interesting and quite obvious questions.  The answering of those questions is what makes it an enduringly interesting course to play,” Clayton said.

“The course’s character is distinguished by expansive fairways and holes that require the player to execute a wide variety of tee shots. Those with the skill to shape the ball to fit the hole, to fly it through the ever-present seaside winds and who hit to the best part of the wide fairways on their approach to the flag will earn the rewards and shoot the lowest scores.”

Course superintendent Trevor Strachan agreed the new layout would challenge the most seasoned pros in the new US$2million tournament.

“The course is now more open and the bunkering is closer to the greens. We now have a course that requires a different type of golf to be played,” Strachan said.

“The surface of the greens is harder and faster and there are more subtle undulations which I think will make it tricky for players returning to the course or experiencing it for the first time.

“Spectators will have a better experience with the new layout as well.  It’s easier to get around the course and there are some great new vantage points.

“You can see eight holes within a 500 metre walk and around the lake will be a terrific place to see a range of holes including the back of the 8th to the 11th and even the 3rd hole.  Plus there will be grandstands set up on the 12th and 17th,” Strachan said.

Strachan will lead a team of 18 grounds keeping staff plus a team of volunteers in the busy lead up to the springtime championship.

“We’ve got to get through winter and then get the grass into place for spring, turfing out the weak areas and getting presentation right.

“Coming out of winter there’s less growing time, so it’s going to be busy.”

Lake Karrinyup is widely acknowledged as Western Australia’s premier private golf club and is ranked the state’s number one course by Australian Golf Digest.  The course rebuild has ensured it will provide a world-class experience for the European Tour and Australasian Tour players when they land in Perth in October.

Tickets for the Perth International will be available from July.  For more information visit www.perthinternational.com,

Like the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PerthInternationalGolf or follow on Twitter @PerthIntl.

Top Five Golden Rules for Female Travellers

Top five Golden rules for female travellers

With 45 percent of woman making up the corporate travel market, International SOS has identified five golden rules to help woman keep safe when travelling for business.

Rule number one: Know Yourself

Understanding your profile and how that profile may be perceived when you travel is vital. Key areas to consider include your physical appearance, travel experience, personality type and budget.

Rule number two: Do your research

Don’t assume, do your research before you travel and know the geography of the city you are visiting, plus be aware of any cultural differences.

Rule number three: Don’t be an easy target

Plan your flights so you arrive in the daytime especially if you are planning to catch a taxi and always use official taxis.

Rule number four: Be assertive

Be confident as appearing unfamiliar can make you a potential target.  Trust your instincts, if something doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t.

Rule number five: Stay calm in a crisis

Statistics have proven that woman are more prone to harassment, assault and hand bag theft therefore it important to know how to respond in a crisis.  Being prepared is key to reducing risk while on business travel

(Source: eTravelblackboard.com)

Chevron City to Surf takes Off in August

The Chevron City to Surf for Activ is the largest community sporting event in Western Australia, incorporating a marathon, half marathon, 12 kilometre and four kilometer runs.

Boasting Western Australia's largest field and the nation's richest prize pool, the City to Surf Marathon takes in some of Perth's most beautiful sights.

Starting from the Perth city centre, runners travel along the Swan River banks before entering Kings Park and finishing at City Beach on the beautiful Indian Ocean. Competitors from 16 countries have registered so far. The event will be held on August 26.

Qatar Airways To Land In Perth Next Week

The inaugural Doha to Perth flight by Qatar Airways will touch down at Perth International Airport on Tuesday. Perth is only the second Australian destination for Qatar Airways, which is the reigning Skytrax Airline of the Year. 

Tourism WA and Perth Airport have been involved in discussions with the airline for a number of years about the service. Qatar Airways is currently regarded as the most progressive airline in the world with an aggressive expansion program, and is one of only five airlines in the world given a five-star rating. 

It has an international network of more than 110 destinations which will provide WA with a new level of connectivity to the world, and in particular the State's key European tourism markets. The new Doha-Perth service will initially operate three times a week.

West Coast Pirates Fight For a Berth in NRL

THE Western Reds have been officially consigned to the history books and so has any chance of an alliance between the two Perth consortia bidding to enter the NRL in coming years. 

WA Rugby League chief executive John Sackson yesterday announced plans for Perth to push for a place in an expanded premiership as the West Coast Pirates, distancing the city from the Reds moniker it carried during its three-year existence in the 90s.

The Reds were eventually victims of the Super League war but Perth is among the favourites to regain a place in the premiership should the ARL Commission decide to expand in the near future.
A final decision is expected to hinge on the game's next broadcasting deal. While the WARL is ready should Perth gain the thumbs-up, it isn't the only interested party. Perth millionaire Tony Sage, who owns the Perth Glory soccer team, has also announced plans to bid for a licence.

Officials from both consortia recently met to discuss the potential for a united bid but were unable to find any common ground.

"We were interested in what they had to say," Sackson said.
"But . . . there were differences of approach. We felt our model was a better model in terms of nurturing development and promoting grass roots rugby league."

Sackson held a phone hook-up with ARL Commission officials last week and finished that conversation with the impression the broadcasting deal would be completed in late September, whereupon a decision on expansion would be made.

Southeast Queensland is considered the other most likely destination should the game decide to go from 16 teams to 18.

Meanwhile, the frantic few days before the June 30 deadline for player movement continued yesterday when Penrith winger Sandor Earl joined Canberra and Newcastle forward Lisiate Fa'aoso linked with Melbourne for the remainder of the season.

The Sydney Roosters have also brought in ex-Penrith hooker Nafe Seluini as a replacement for Anthony Mitchell, who is joining North Queensland.

And former Roosters winger Sam Perrett will have his first training with Canterbury this morning.

Why WA Is Not On The Tourist Map

Though this state gets only a tiny portion of visitors from China - Australia's fastest-growing and most valuable overseas tourism market - Dr Hames says we do not need to build attractions to complement the natural wonders of the west.

But his views are out of sync with Tourism Council of WA boss Evan Hall, who says Perth is missing out on visitors because it lacks a "signature experience".

Asia-based tour operators interviewed by The Sunday Times at last weekend's Australian Tourism Exchange agreed with Mr Hall, saying WA needed more man-made attractions to compete with east coast destinations.

Dr Hames disagreed, saying: "Tourist operators believe that what they can sell out of WA is beautiful weather, blue skies and beaches, plus our events.

"When we go to tourist operators in China they see WA as the great new place to visit. They had been to the Sydney Opera House and do those things, but after that it was a bit boring.

"What they wanted was something that was new and fresh not just old buildings.
"They wanted swimming with the whale sharks, skydiving over Jurien, fishing for barramundi in the Kimberley."

WA is playing catch-up with the eastern states to attract newly cashed-up Chinese tourists. Tourism Australia believes the China market has the potential to be worth up to $9 billion a year by the end of the decade.

"China is now our fastest-growing and the most valuable overseas tourism market, delivering more than half-a-million-plus visitors and $3.8 billion in spending in 2011," Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy said.

But only 3.1 per cent of that money was spent in WA.

Simon Burley, marketing director at Tourism WA, said it was working hard to fix that and was on course to reach 100,000 visitors a year from China by 2016.

Mr Hall has challenged the Government to be more visionary and do more than fall back on WA's natural attractions.

He said it should combine our "unparalleled natural offerings" with man-made attractions.

"You can have a diversity of experiences," he said. "Perth needs an icon, but still has to be set against a beautiful river, with big, blue, clear skies it's that classic image that we are still missing.
"What Perth lacks is a signature experience."

Mr Hall also called on the Government not to delay plans to construct a cable-car link between the new Perth waterfront and Kings Park.

The link remains part of the Barnett Government's waterfront concept, but funding for it was not included in the first $440 million phase of the development.

Dr Hames scoffed at the suggestion the cable car link would attract additional tourists.
"To say a cable car would be iconic that's a bit silly really," he said. "There are cable cars everywhere in the world. That's not going to drag people here to see WA."

Dr Hames said he was open to the idea of theme parks, but believed "our biggest task is to let people know what we have got, rather than chasing to build new things."

WAITING AROUND: German tourists Michaela Raschke and Kathrin Wunderlich love Perth, but say there is little to do in winter when the weather is bad. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: PerthNow