Townsville Enterprise commissioned an Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) on what the proposed Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) would have on the Townsville North Queensland economy.
The report, undertaken by Empower Economics, indicated that the project will provide long-term and sustainable economic benefit to the Townsville North Queensland region.
MOUA is forecast to generate over $42M in regional economic activity and create 182 (direct and indirect) jobs annually for the Townsville North Queensland community. The flow-on tourism impacts of this project are most remarkable, increasing tourism in the region by 50,000 visitors per annum.
Representatives from the Museum of Underwater Art project team have engaged with the State Government to present the project’s funding recommendation.
Townsville Enterprise recommended that the State Government provide $5M (over three years) to support the development of a globally significant tourism infrastructure project for Townsville North Queensland - the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA). Corporate and community contributions have already exceeded $700,000 for the project.
Underwater art museums are artistic installations, usually involving sculptured works placed on the seafloor or riverbeds to provide fascinating visual, emotional and physical experiences for visitors. Jason deCaires Taylor, the artist most famous for such works, recently visited Townsville to scope locations for the installations.
deCaires Taylor has since presented more than 30 art concepts to the project team (SeaLink Queensland, Reef Ecologic, Townsville City Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, James Cook University and Townsville Enterprise), with a process of community consultation to be undertaken to select the final pieces of art, as early as late 2017. The sites identified by the artist as providing the ideal setting for the underwater installations are The Strand, Magnetic Island, Palm Island and John Brewer Reef.
The overarching vision for MOUA is to create a global art attraction for Townsville North Queensland (the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere) that provides a point of differentiation, tells the stories of the land, people and environment, provides ongoing economic benefit to the local economy and builds the capacity of operators and businesses within the local tourism industry. Local Indigenous leaders have also been engaged throughout this process.
The Museum of Underwater Art is a priority project identified in Townsville Enterprise’s recently released 2017/18 Townsville North Queensland State Government Election Priorities with an original funding ask of $1.5M. After receiving the information identified in the Economic Impact Assessment and the Museum Concept Report from the artist, the scale of the project requires a minor increased funding commitment.
Townsville Enterprise will continue to work with the project team and key stakeholders to ensure the benefits of this major project are delivered across all five regions once funding has been secured.
The Economic Impact Assessment for the Museum of Underwater Art can be viewed in full by clicking here.
Images: Sculptures and photographs by Jason deCaires Taylor
