About Us

Whitsundays Marketing and Development Limited (WMDL) is the Regional Tourism Organisation for the Whitsunday region, responsible for the promotion of the destination worldwide.  The region incorporates 74 tropical islands in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Coast from Bowen in the north, to Midge Point in the south, inland to Proserpine and to the coast including Airlie Beach.

We are the region's peak tourism industry body, facilitating partnerships, promoting sustainable tourism development and marketing this wonderful destination around the world.

Whitsundays Marketing and Development's mission is for the Whitsundays to be recognised as one of the top ten tropical coast, reef, island and marine leisure destinations in the world.  Central to this mission is the 74 Island Wonders brand that positions the destination as an aspirational tourism destination of the highest quality. 

In 2011, the decision was made to merge Tourism Whitsundays and Enterprise Whitsundays, and the newly formed organisation is now called Whitsundays Marketing and Development Limited. 
  

Our Partners

Whitsundays Marketing and Development is a partnership-based organisation. If you would like a list of our partners, please see the Members Directory.
 
If you would like to know more about becoming a partner of WMDL, please visit the page on Becoming a Member.
 

The Board

Whitsundays Marketing and Development is governed by a Board. The Board of Directors consists of the Mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council (or an appointed WRC representative), the chairs of the three Strategic Advisory Groups (Member Directors) established by the directors, and any invited directors selected on merit by the Member Directors or by a General Meeting. Appointed members of the Board are appointed for a term of one year, from 1 January to 31 December. The chairs of the SAGs serve a term of one year from immediately after the Annual General Meeting in September, until immeditately prior to the AGM the following year. 

There are currently five members of the Whitsundays Marketing and Development Board.  

WMDL Board

(4 set, up to 7 appointed)
1. Chairperson – Jim Elder
2. Mayor, Whitsunday Regional Council – Jenny Whitney
3. Dave Nebauer
4. Jeff Aquilina 
5. David Stielow 

Strategic Advisory Groups

Whitsundays Marketing and Development has three Strategic Advisory Groups, governing Economic Development (ED), Tourism (T) and Business Events (BE). The members of these SAGs are appointed or elected in September at the Annual General Meeting, and also serve a term of one year.

ED SAG

(up to 10 appointed)

1. Dave Nebauer - Chairman 
2. Lyn Gregson - Deputy Chairman
3. Matthew Magin
4. Colin Thompson
5. Stephen Darwen
6. Scott Waters
7. Racheal Klitscher
Council representatives – Jenny Whitney and Kevin Collins

T SAG

(7 elected, up to 3 appointed)

1. Jeff Aquilina - Chairman
2. Al Grundy - Deputy Chairman
3. Glenn Bourke
4. Phil Casey
5. Jan Claxton
6. Jo Matthews
8. Paul McLaughlin
Council representative – Jan Clifford

BE SAG

(1 representative per partner)

1. David Stielow 
2. Karen Maher 
3. Jeff Aquilina 
4. Julie Ford 
5. Dean Walsh
6. David Reid 
7. Jodie Talbot
8. Steve McDonald
9. Samantha Ford
10. Brooke Miles
11. Phil Delangen
12. Megan Pechey
13. Peter O'Reilly 

Contact us

Click here for our contact details.

What do we do?

Click here to find out more information about what we do.