Gold Coast tourism needs to be bold and refresh — Martin Winter
THE exiting long-time boss of the Gold Coast’s visitor marketing serves up a few parting shots on the way out the door.
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The exiting Destination Gold Coast CEO is imploring the city to be bold in its hunt for big new visitor attractions or risk falling off the top of the international tourism radar.
Martin Winter, who finished up this week after 10 years at the helm, fears Australia’s visitor capital will fall out of the “tourism Premier League” without drawcard new projects soon.
During Mr Winter’s decade in the hot seat visitor numbers have kept tracking upwards but he said during his time the average length of stay for tourists had dropped an entire day.
DON’T MISS MARTIN WINTER IN TOMORROW’S BULLETIN - HE SOUNDS OFF ON CHINA, TATE, KATE JONES, THEME PARKS AND MORE
“This revenue has been lost to the city and although it’s a nationwide phenomenon we must try to reverse the trend,” he said.
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“At the very least the Gold Coast needs to be build new attractions to fill the new accommodation being built.”
His parting thoughts echo recent calls by Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan for the city to embrace new attractions as pivotal to its evolution as a destination.
Mr Winter: “There are real challenges to overcome if we are to maintain the momentum. The most critical is the need to build new attractions that can compete on the international stage.
“We need new reasons for past visitors to return and for people to stay longer.”
In a final interview with the Bulletin, a frank Mr Winter opened up on:
-That he believes theme parks will recover from Dreamworld’s darkest day when four people died in a ride gone wrong in late 2016 — Mr Winter said it would be a “longer and challenging road” but “I’m generally positive about it”;
New Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista in ‘bold’ new era
-New CEO Annaliese Battista has the hallmarks of an outstanding leader;
-The Gold Coast should invest in a stand-alone China based office for tourism, marketing and business;
-He has no hard feelings toward then-Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo who last year said he had “lost confidence” in Mr Winter when visitor spending continued to dip.
Mr Winter finished his handover to incoming Ms Battista on Thursday: “I’m very confident she will turn out to be a strong CEO and leader of the industry.
“She has exceptional credentials in management and most importantly understands the relationship between council, quasi council organisations like us and State Government.”
Mr Winter departs on a high with international visitor numbers on the up along with spend despite an ongoing downturn in domestic visitor spend.
TOURISTS FLOODING COAST IN RECORD NUMBERS
Foreign tourists into the Gold Coast for the year to March jumped 3.8 per cent to 1.05m and they spent $1.3b, up 10.6 per cent on the previous year.
The Gold Coast’s international visitor growth rate outstripped Queensland and Australia.
Mr Winter hasn’t had a smooth run, last year butting heads with Mr Ciobo who said he’d lost confidence in him.
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It prompted the Destination Gold Coast board at the time to issue a statement expressing “absolute confidence” in Mr Winter.
Mr Winter was loath to revisit it but said: “I don’t hold any grudges.”
“He has to be seen to be representing his electorate which can sometimes be difficult given he also has a very serious national responsibility. When there is something he doesn’t agree with, it was incumbent on him to make a comment.
“(But) how can he call for my head? He’s not my employer. He was a bit of a shag on a rock there.”
Mr Winter intends to remain on the Gold Coast with his wife and spend more time catching up with his three adult children based in Victoria, Sweden and Kuwait with their careers.
“It was the right time. I was presented with rare opportunity to be involved in the Commonwealth Games. After that seemed a logical time to depart. I’m 66 — if not now when?”
DON’T MISS MARTIN WINTER IN TOMORROW’S BULLETIN - HE SOUNDS OFF ON CHINA, TATE, KATE JONES, THEME PARKS AND MORE
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