A WHITSUNDAY Coast Chamber of Commerce information night on an application for a premium hotel at the Port of Airlie has been postponed.

Chamber president Allan Milostic said more concrete information was needed before the consultation could proceed.

"The developer wasn't comfortable speaking to our members because the application is evolving and changes are being made to the application,” he said.

The information night was scheduled to happen tommorow tonight (November 17) to assess chamber members' views ahead of making a likely submission on the application. Mr Milostic said the information night, expected to be postponed until 2017, was an important forum to put forward the yes and no cases.

He stressed the need to balance the potential for increased tourism interest and job opportunities against potential visual impact and loss of amenity.

The delay follows public concern on the Norling report's claim of a "market gap” for land-based premium hotels in the Whitsundays.

One concerned resident, Corrie Gardner, claimed the report's finding was flawed.

"The conclusions the report reaches are not based on solid economics or the figures they present but rather the outcome they wanted to reach - a hotel at Port of Airlie,” she said.

"A premium hotel is not viable in the Airlie Beach location and would take five years to gain 65% occupancy at the expense of existing accommodation options.”

Ms Gardner said the Whitsundays was home to the largest bareboat charter business in the South Pacific and the report failed to acknowledge "on water accommodation”.