Destination Gold Coast’s Patricia O’Callaghan appointed Tourism and Events Queensland CEO
The Gold Coast tourism boss is headed up the M1 for a state job but her replacement is yet to be announced. Find out how long the city will be without someone in the top job.
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“Have fun.”
That is the advice outgoing Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan has for her successor, whoever that may be.
Ms O’Callaghan announced her departure on Friday – after only 18 months in the city’s top tourism job – to go head up Tourism Queensland.
She will not be leaving until November 30 but her spot will be vacant for much longer.
It was revealed on Friday that due to the time of year, the search for the next tourism boss will be put off until January next year.
In the meantime, Destination Gold Coast will appoint an interim boss.
Ms O’Callaghan said it was with a “heavy heart” she tendered her resignation.
Her time with the Gold Coast had been one of the most difficult patches for tourism, with border closures due to the pandemic decimating the industry – including taking $5 billion from the Gold Coast.
She said it was helping lead the recovery which was one of her proudest moments on the job, specifically the Play Money voucher scheme in conjunction with the City of Gold Coast.
“I remember we were facing some of our darkest days at this point, because people weren’t travelling to the Gold Coast,” Ms O’Callaghan said.
“We were able to move quickly and put out a voucher reward system which paid dividends back into the local economy.”
Ms O’Callaghan said the day borders reopened to international visitors was one she would not soon forget.
“The emotion, the rawness and just seeing visitors internationally coming back to the city,” she said.
As well as “have fun”, Ms O’Callaghan has some other advice for her replacement.
“This is the best industry you could possibly be in so be excited, be invigorated, have a bit of fun and don’t be afraid to think differently and take a bit of risk,” she said.
Paying tribute to Ms O’Callaghan’s tenure was Destination Gold Coast chair Adrienne Readings who said the news was “bittersweet”.
“It’s great that we’ve got a wonderful advocate now in the top job,” she said.
Ms Readings said the new CEO would have “big shoes to fill”.
She said she believed the city was in a position to attract another high calibre CEO.
Ms Readings described this time of year as “not ideal” for recruiting, which was why it was decided to appoint an interim CEO until the job search began next year.
The Star Gold Coast chief operating office Jess Mellor said Ms O’Callaghan had been “an incredible role model and advocate for Gold Coast tourism operators” during the pandemic.
“Her appointment to Tourism and Events Queensland is an inspired choice, and without a doubt the Gold Coast will continue to benefit from her amazing experience and energy driving the industry across the state,” she said.
“I look forward to continue working closely with Patricia in her new role and supporting her successor to further establish the Gold Coast as everyone’s favourite destination to visit.”
D-Day for departing tourism boss
The city is hunting for a new tourism boss, with Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan taking up the reigns of the state’s biggest tourism body.
Ms O’Callaghan has been appointed to replace Leanne Coddington as CEO of Tourism and Events Queensland, less than two years after she arrived on the Gold Coast with a mandate to revive the city’s economy during the darkest days of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Destination Gold Coast board will now launch a nationwide search to replace Ms O’Callaghan, who will take up the post at the end of the year.
A field of up to 600 people expected to apply for the high-profile tourism job.
It is a meteoric rise for Ms O’Callaghan, who arrived on the Gold Coast in February 2021 after nearly a decade as the boss of Townsville Enterprise.
Tourism and business leaders have welcomed her appointment to the new post and called for strong candidates to replace her on the Gold Coast.
Former Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan, who hired Ms O’Callaghan in late 2021, said there were only upsides to the move.
“It is great for Trish, she deserves this because she has done an outstanding job and while we have lost her, we have gained an ally in Brisbane who will look after the Gold Coast’s interests I believe,” he said.
“She leaves us in good shape so now the board will have to find a suitable replacement and there will be plenty of people interested because Trish raised the profile of the organisation.
“We had more than 600 last time, I think there will be similar numbers this time.
Former Tourism Australia chairman Bob East said Ms O’Callaghan was an “excellent choice” to head TEQ who would leave big shoes to fill
“The next CEO will have to keep taking the Gold Coast down the path of creating new experiences which capture the best of the beach but beyond them too,” he said.
“The good work she has done to broaden the appeal of the Gold Coast beyond Surfers Paradise and summer activities must continue and to do this, they will need to work on making ourselves as attractive as possible to build new products and government support is important in that.
“It’s not just a marketing or advertising job, it’s about creating a world-class destination.”
Attention will immediately turn to who replaces Ms O’Callaghan at Destination Gold Coast.
Former Gold Coast Bulletin editor Rachel Hancock has impressed many industry and civic leaders since joining Destination GC as head of stakeholders and strategy in January and would be among the leading contenders for the CEO role.
Ms Hancock declined to comment when approached by the Bulletin on Thursday.
PATRICIA O’Callaghan’s short term as the $6bn Gold Coast’s tourism industry boss came in one of its most tumultuous periods.
Appointed to the post in November, 2020, at 37 and beating out a record field of hundreds of applicants, her arrival in February, 2021, was under less than ideal circumstances. She replaced outspoken Annaliese Battista who resigned under mysterious circumstances. Her arrival coincided with the tourism industry skidding on ice thanks to Covid. The pandemic and closed international borders had led to the city’s biggest industry losing more than $3bn in value.
Confidence industry was shattered and she was headhunted from her long-time post as head of north Queensland tourism body Townsville Enterprises with a mandate to turn the town around.
Backed heavily by Mayor Tom Tate and then-Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan Ms O’Callaghan’s first year in the post was dominated by the crushing impact of Covid’s second wave and the deadly delta strain which forced the closure of Queensland’s borders again in mid-2021.
Despite circumstances beyond her control, she retained confidence of political leaders throughout the crisis. In early 2022 she teamed up with the Bulletin to help secure a $200m fighting fund to attract more overseas flights.
The hard work paid off, with Destination Gold Coast winning a significant funding increase from the Gold Coast City Council in June’s budget and a boost from both overseas and interstate visitors again.
Destination Gold Coast Chair Adrienne Readings said they wanted to acknowledge Patricia’s outstanding contribution to the Gold Coast tourism industry over the past two years.
“Since relocating from Townsville to the Gold Coast with her family two years ago, Patricia has been a fearless advocate and strong supporter of our tourism industry through the once-in-a-lifetime challenges of Covid-19, which is now emerging from the pandemic stronger than ever,” she said.
“Throughout it all, Patricia made sure everybody knows there is no better travel destination in the world than the Gold Coast.
“The Board and I wish Patricia well in her new position and we know she will continue to work hard on behalf of the Gold Coast and wider Queensland tourism economy.”
Ms Readings said Ms O’Callaghan would continue her role until November 30 before commencing as Tourism and Events Queensland CEO in 2023.
“An extensive search to recruit a new CEO at Destination Gold Coast will commence in due course,” she said.
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