Monday 19 July 2021
Love is coming to town with the announcement today that Season 3 of Channel 9's wildly popular Love Island Australia will film in Port Douglas, Far North Queensland, later this year.
Secured by the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland's Production Attraction Strategy, viewers worldwide will be smitten by Queensland's picture-perfect tropical north, which is sure to work its romantic magic on the show's contestants too.
Produced by ITV Studios Australia, the reality TV format will return an estimated $8.6 million to Queensland's economy and create more than 100 jobs for local crew.
Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said that Love Island was the next in a strong line of productions, both domestic and international, to fall for the charms of Far North Queensland.
"The economic boost to regional centres due to these large-scale reality formats coming to town is significant; this is another fantastic result for Queensland.
"First, we had Australian Survivor, filming out of Cloncurry, now we have Love Island for Port Douglas - and what better place on earth to find love than the idyllic tropical north.
"This announcement further confirms the growth of Far North Queensland as a significant film and TV hub for the state, growth to be aided by the construction of a studio facility in Cairns, to be operational by early 2022," Ms Munnich said.
Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, Member for Mulgrave and Far North Queensland Screen Champion, Curtis Pitt said the tourism industry in Far North Queensland will also gain from Love Island being filmed in Port Douglas.
"Love Island enjoys a huge national and international following with the reality juggernaut broadcast in over 20 countries around the world, so this is great news for the region whose lush rainforests and pristine beaches will be showcased globally.
"The local FNQ community and its businesses will also benefit in a myriad of ways from the production spend on catering, transport, construction, accommodation, technology and much more.
"We are thrilled that postcard Port Douglas will star in Season 3 and proud of the opportunities, for crew and the wider FNQ community, the production will deliver to the region," Mr Pitt said.
Other productions choosing the Far North this past year include Netflix teen series, Dive Club, feature film This Little Love of Mine, and Matchbox Pictures' Irreverent, to start production next month.
Adrian Swift, 9Network's Head of Content Production & Development said, "What better place to spark romance and set hearts racing than in the tropical paradise of Port Douglas. Queensland has hosted some of the nation's biggest productions in recent times and who doesn't want to watch our hottest cast of islanders yet in a brand new villa, set in luscious rainforest, right on the reef."
ITV Studios Australia's Head of Content, Beth Hart, said "What better location, than Port Douglas, for one of the sexiest shows on Australian TV screens. Showcasing the incredible surroundings that are second-to-none, we will be bringing to viewers, not only the hottest Australians, but the hottest scenery in the world. We couldn't be more excited to shoot this season in picture-perfect Far North Queensland. We are thrilled to be working with Screen Queensland and to have the opportunity to produce shows on Australian shores for Channel 9."
Love Island is owned by ITV Studios and Motion Content Group and is distributed internationally by ITV Studios. The hit show has also been commissioned in over 20 territories from the UK and the US to Spain, the Netherlands and many more.
