CAIRNS leaders have rolled out the welcome mat for a billionaire Syrian developer whose plans for the city herald a ?new era? in tourism development.
Entrepreneur Ghassan Aboud jetted into Cairns last night and met immediately with Cairns Mayor Bob Manning at the hotel he bought in March for $34 million ? Rydges Tradewinds.
His company, GA Group Australia, also snapped up the adjacent property, which for many years housed the iconic ?Kamsler House? on the Esplanade, for an undisclosed amount, thought to be between $3 million and $4 million.
