Grey nomads abandon Gold Coast to help rebuild bushfire towns

Gold Coast tourism is facing another hit, with grey nomads expected to stay away this winter for a very simple reason.

THE Gold Coast is poised to lose many of its grey nomad tourists during winter as older Australians visit the bushfire areas down south, according to a council report.

Councillors are today expected to back a recommendation for about $1.3 million to be spent on improving council tourist parks.

NEW $2M CAMPAIGN TO MARKET GLITTER STRIP TO OVER-50S MARKET

Tourists at the Main Beach Tourist Caravan Park. Campers Adam and Tammy Bailey from Terrigal, NSW and their two daughters Georgie (6) and Charlie (9) Bailey.

The city’s seven mainland tourist parks attract more than 130,000 visitors in a year, generating almost $19 million.

“There is an expectation that the recent bushfires in the south of Australia are likely to impact on our winter guests who are due to start arriving in May,” the council officer’s report said.

“In prior years, where similar devastation has occurred, the grey nomads and itinerant travellers have rallied together to assist with rebuilding, replanting, animal rehabilitation and also take their business to towns that are in need of financial injection.”

NEW DATA: HOW MUCH TOURISM IS WORTH TO THE GOLD COAST

Sam Carins with his children, Polly, 6, and Dougie, 4, at Ocean Beach Tourist Park, Miami. Picture: Jerad Williams.

Outside a special budget meeting last week, Mayor Tom Tate said he believed the Coast could attract younger families to the tourist parks.

“I think there’s room for the grey nomads to visit both locations. I think it’s wonderful they go to the bushfire areas and show a bit of love. If it means the bushfire areas habe got more grey nomads there than we have, I think that’s OK. We will go for the younger nomads.”