Tourism Gold Coast: How $45bn will change the face of the Gold Coast
A $45 billion economic injection is set to reshape the Gold Coast over the next decade, with everything from new attractions to new hotels in play.
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A RESURGENT tourism sector will inject more than $45bn into the Gold Coast’s economy in the next decade according to new statistics, with industry leaders mapping out a plan to make it boom again.
Industry leaders are putting the finishing touches on a new game plan which will guide the city’s tourism agenda for the next decade.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, based on an analysis of the industry over the previous decade, projects the $45bn target.
The 2032 strategy, aimed at bettering that figure, will be presented to Gold Coast City Council in coming weeks.
Destination Gold Coast interim CEO Karen Bolinger said the industry had a strong summer which was a small taste of what was to come.
“Yes $45 billion is a big number but we have this runway leading up to the Olympics and we need to find opportunities to deliver on it,” she said.
“Tourism employs more than 44,000 people on the Gold Coast and 26,000 small business around it and while there are economic headwinds coming.”
But she said plans for the Olympics tourism push needed to be settled years earlier than people realised.
“We need to have our ducks lined up by 2028 because there is when the closing ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics happens and that’s when the world gets a preview of what ours will look like,” she said.
“We need to get the body of work done in the next few years to see whether we need more hotel infrastructure, airline access or new products.
“Everyone things we have a lot of time but we don’t, which is why we need to be planning and working up a framework because Games are (not just the sport) they are the legacy they leave behind.”
Ms Bolinger, who has spent her career working in tourism in Australia and consulted across the worked in the US and Europe, was named interim CEO of Destination Gold Coast following the departure of Patricia O’Callaghan.
A permanent replacement is yet to be named while council continues its review of its subsidiary entities. The review is due this month.
The tourism industry is slowly recovering from the devastating blow of Covid and border closures, which saw it lose more than $3bn in value.
However the reopening of borders a year ago this week saw the industry begin to bounce back, with strong domestic visitors, though international tourism remains stubbornly slow.
The total number of visitor nights grew 3.5 per cent to 11.8 million nights, according to data compiled by Tourism Research Australia, while tourists last year spent on average $1033 per head, a 14.7 per cent increase on the $90 recorded in 2021 and up 17.6 per cent on the $878 per head in 2019.
Mayor Tom Tate said co-hosting the Olympics and Paralympics offered the city a “unique opportunity” to improve its tourism infrastructure for the future.
But he said it was critical for new attractions to be created to bolster the Gold Coast’s credentials and lure back return visitors in an increasingly competitive market.
“From a Gold Coast perspective, we need to encourage more private sector investment in new tourism products and experiences,” he said.
“Global tourists have huge choices now the world is reopening post Covid, so we must refresh our offerings if we are to retain the title of No 1 tourism destination.
“The Langham, Leviathan at SeaWorld, Steel Taipan at Dreamworld and the new Marina Mirage plans are all part of the mix. and individually, they play a part in attracting return visitors as well as new arrivals.”
Operators say they are feeling excited about the future.
Currumbin’s Surf Easy Surf School owner Pat O’Leary has spent his whole life in tourism.
From getting behind the bar as a kid with his dad in country pubs and hotels to working as an international flight attendant at Qantas for over three decades – he has seen Queensland’s tourism industry evolve and change dramatically.
Working part time as a surfing instructor, Mr O’Leary said he had a “golden opportunity” to take over the Surf Easy Surf School at Currumbin Alley five years ago.
“It was too good an opportunity to miss so I jumped on it,” Mr O’Leary said.
Now, Mr O’Leary and partner Ann say the best years for tourism are to come.
“We survived the pandemic and the Gold Coast is now in a monumental position to reach a high point – as not just the major tourism destination in Australia – but the world.
“People that come to the Gold Coast want the full spectrum of things to do, and we offer it up on a platter. You’ve got the beaches, the mountains, the night life, the shopping centres and the theme parks.
“I’ve travelled to many places in the world in my flight attendant days and it’s always been a thrill coming back to the Gold Coast. We are very, very lucky. We are in a position to be the jewel in the crown of global tourism.
“Visitors from Melbourne and Sydney are always saying how friendly Gold Coasters are, and of course we are. We get out and about early in the morning, get our coffee and say g’day.
“International travellers frequently list in their top 5 things they want to do when visiting the Gold Coast is learn to surf. We are just stoked to be a part of that.”
Mr O’Leary commended Mayor Tom Tate’s push for 2023 being the year of accessible tourism, saying hosting surfing workshops for people living with disability three times a week was “a huge highlight” in his work.
“It’s a chance for people to experience something that they normally might not have the opportunity to. The smiles on their faces are priceless and the universal joy surfing brings should be for everyone,” Mr O’Leary said.
Mr O’Leary said there isn’t a person on earth who doesn’t enjoy the “exhilaration” of riding a wave.
Looking forward to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, Mr O’Leary said the city could grow, but needs to retain its natural beauty.
“People come to Currumbin because it’s a village. There are only a few villages left on the Coast. It’s the magic of it and my advice would be to work with nature rather than against it,” Mr O’Leary said.
He applauded the Oceanway upgrades along the Gold Coast beachfronts, and said “people absolutely love it”.
Bel Sheppard of Elite Holiday Homes Broadbeach, who have several properties for short-term holiday stays, says the Gold Coast has the ability to position itself as “the destination for everyone”.
She said that its world-class beaches, hinterland, entertainment and arts precincts, shopping, theme parks and vibrant dining scene has put the city in good stead to bring the world to the Gold Coast during the Olympics.
“Our airport has recently expanded to allow for more international tourists and with the light rail expansion underway, transport for anyone coming to the Gold Coast will be a simple and stress free way to get around,” she said.
However, Ms Sheppard said it was “vital” the Coast implemented a powerful marketing campaign in the lead-up to the Games.
“The GC needs to be promoted as the destination with something for everyone of all ages – from Grandma to little kids, the sports enthusiast to the food and wine expert, the yoga teacher to the party girl,” she said.
“We also need to strengthen our safe, friendly destination narrative. We have it all and we need people to come and make great memories doing the things they enjoy or trying something new.
“Holiday homes are a necessary offering to be a world class tourist destination but they need to be managed properly. Unfortunately this is not always the case.
“We believe that holiday homes should be managed through accredited, licensed real estate agencies to ensure proper guidelines around safety, on call security and many other standards are met to ensure high quality product and service along with neighbourhood amenity is achieved. State and local Government policies are a barrier to this.”
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