VITAMIN king Vaughan Bullivant has finally spoken out about the sale of his beloved Daydream Island to the China Capital Investment Group (CCIG).
Mr Bullivant, who bought the island in 2000, will be selling it to the CCIG for an undisclosed sum, subject to government approval, in mid-March.
Mr Bullivant said the new owners intended to continue to operate the island’s resort and spa and invest money into the gradual refurbishment of the popular resort.
“Daydream Island has been a huge part of my life and I’ve put so much passion into making it a great tropical island experience but have known for some time it’s best for another owner to continue my vision,” he said.
“I’m delighted that we’ve found an investor that can continue to operate Daydream with the current management team and take it securely forward.”
Mr Bullivant described the announcement of the sale as “a great day for Daydream”.
“And whilst I’m sad to be parting ways, the island has a very bright future,” he said.
“The new owners also have an opportunity to develop further the southern end of the island and offer new accommodation experiences.”
The Shanghai-based CCIG has several tourism assets in its portfolio, with Daydream Island representing its first investment in Australia.
CCIG Chairman Chuanyou Zhou said the company looked forward to improving the property “and providing both domestic and international guests with a continued high level of quality service and enhancing their holiday experience”.
Daydream Island Resort and Spa’s CEO Scott Wilkinson said in the meantime it was “business as usual”.
“We’ve just experienced a busy holiday period and look forward to building on the positive guest feedback we continue to receive,” he said.
“Our leisure, weddings and conferencing sectors all have strong forward bookings for 2015. It’s going to be an exciting year ahead.”
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