Port Stephens’ Newcastle Airport to gain its first hotels in $19 million boost for Port Stephens

PORT STEPHENS - Port Stephens is set to gain a 95-room hotel and a 50-room motel, together worth $19 million, next to Newcastle Airport – the first accommodation at the expanding airport, which is the second busiest in NSW and the 12th busiest in Australia.

The $8 million, four-storey Mercure Newcastle Airport is scheduled to open late next year with 95 rooms, a restaurant and conference facilities for 200 people while a 50-room motel in a new $11 million tavern and fast-food visitor development will also be built near the airport in Williamtown, which is in the Port Stephens region, 25 minutes from both Nelson Bay and the Newcastle CBD.

Approved in June, 2013, by Port Stephens Council, which owns the aiport together with Newcastle City Council, the developments will meet a rapid growth in passenger numbers at Newcastle Airport, where 170 domestic flights a week serve almost 1.2 million passengers a year. Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Qantas Link, Rex and Brindabella Airlines offer direct flights from Newcastle Airport to Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Canberra and Ballina.

Destination Port Stephens Marketing Manager, Tars Bylhouwer, said the new accommodation next to Newcastle Airport would boost the airport’s role as a gateway to Port Stephens and attract more conference delegates to the region.

“These developments will certainly enhance our $400 million-plus visitor economy in Port Stephens, bringing more leisure and corporate business into the area,” Mr Bylhouwer said. “We are keen to see more visitors fly direct to Port Stephens from Victoria, Queensland and the ACT and these new properties will help achieve that.”

Newcastle Airport's Aviation and Business Development Manager, David Nye, says the new hotel and motel would further boost passenger numbers at the airport, which already contributes $633 million to the local economy.

"People from the Central Coast, greater Hunter region and NSW North Coast will be able to come to the airport the night before flying out and the Mercure’s conference facilities will help attract more business from the meetings market,” Mr Nye said. “It's a positive move for anybody coming to and from the airport to have such a hotel on the airport precinct,” he said.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews