Integrated Tourism Resorts

Acquisitions of residential real estate within a resort which has been designated by the Government as an Integrated Tourism Resort (ITR) prior to September 1999 are exempt from the normal foreign investment restrictions applying to foreign acquisitions of residential property and can be on sold to foreigners without approval.

For resorts designated as ITRs from September 1999, the exemption only applies to developed residential property which is subject to a long term (10 years or more) lease to the resort/hotel operator, making the property available for tourist accommodation when not occupied by the owner.

• All other property, including vacant land for development, within the ITR would be subject to the normal foreign investment restrictions.
• Operators of ITRs are required to report annually to FIRB providing details of the ownership of all accommodation within the resorts.

To be considered for designation as an ITR, a tourist development must satisfy the following criteria:

• be a destination tourist development on a contiguous site normally covering a minimum of 50 hectares within well defined boundaries and be planned and constructed by a single developer;
• have an existing core hotel(s) of sufficient size and standard to provide the central focus for the resort and to provide about 20 per cent or more of the ITR's total accommodation;
• have 'non-hotel' accommodation facilities within the boundaries of the resort; and
• have extensive recreational facilities (such as golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, walking tracks etc) within the boundaries of the resort.

Developments which are clearly and primarily destination tourism resorts with a residential component may be considered for designation as ITRs. However, developments which are substantially residential in nature, even though they may have a tourism component, would not qualify for designation as ITRs. Generally, it is expected that a destination tourism resort being considered for ITR status will have commercial (including the core hotel) and recreational facilities accounting for about 70-80 per cent of the resort's area.

Resorts which are still at the planning stage, or at the early stage of development, or do not satisfy all the above criteria are not eligible for designation as an ITR.

Currently approved Integrated Tourism Resorts

Post‑September 1999

• Heritage Golf and Country Club, Chirnside Park, Vic
• Hunter Valley Golf and Country Club Resort, NSW
• Kingfisher Bay Resort Village, Fraser Island, Qld

Pre‑September 1999

• Hamilton Island Resort, Whitsunday Passage, Qld
• Hope Island Resort, Hope Island, Qld
• Hyatt Regency Resort, Coolum, Qld
• Joondalup Resort, WA
• Kooralbyn Valley Resort, Qld
• Laguna Quays Resort – Stage 1, Repulse Bay, Qld
• Mirage Port Douglas Resort, Port Douglas, Qld
• Palm Cove Travelodge Resort, Qld
• Royal Pines Resort, Ashmore, Qld
• Sanctuary Cove, Hope Island, Qld
• Wirrina Cove Resort, SA

How to Apply

For information on how to apply, please see How to Apply.