Mayor to visit China as emergency funding sought to combat Coronavirus tourism toll

Council is to provide a cash boost for Destination Gold Coast and Mayor Tom Tate will visit China as the city seeks to limit the damage to tourism from the coronavirus outbreak.

Councillors are to provide $1 million in emergency tourism funding to Destination Gold Coast to help deal with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.

Mayor Tom Tate is also to visit China “at the earliest practical opportunity” in a bid to promote the Gold Coast.

At the start of a full council meeting today, councillors unanimously backed a mayoral minute for Councillor Tate to visit the Coast’s Chinese sister and friendship cities in China.

The coronavirus outbreak has had a huge impact on Gold Coast tourism. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

“It is important that the City extends the hand of friendship to the sister and friendship cities in China at the earliest practical opportunity, and resume a business as usual approach,” Cr Tate said.

Councillor Peter Young asked the Mayor when it was likely that he could make the visit.

Cr Tate said he would have to take advice from Queensland Health but his hope would be May this year or as late as June.

Mayor Tom Tate wants to visit China as soon as possible. Picture: Jerad Williams.

The mayoral minute occurred before Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan and its CEO Annaliese Battista briefed councillors on the impact of coronavirus and sought $2 million in emergency funding.

Mr Donovan who has just returned from Singapore warned councillors that “we cannot over-estimate the impact of coronavirus” which could cause losses of between $450 million and $500 million.

The health crisis was not just stopping Chinese travel but impacting on the Japanese and Korean markets, he said.

“We need to be out there as hard as we can (promoting the Gold Coast),” he said.

Ms Battista said Coronavirus would have a worse impact on the Glitter Strip than SARS or the Global Financial Crisis.

She said the cost would be $500 million if Coronavirus was “neutralised today”.

“It’s really crunch time. The sector needs help,” she said.

Councillors, after going into a closed session, resolved to provide $1 million in emergency tourism funding.

CEO of Destination Gold Coast, Annaliese Battista, in Broadbeach. Picture: Jerad Williams

Before the decision was announced, Ms Battista said she was disappointed with the State Government’s support package which remained at $2.4 million, much less than the $10 million requested.

She said Destination Gold Coast had yet to have private talks with the Mayor but was aware that council had been supportive of extra funding.

Some of the 3500 small businesses on the Coast working at the tourism coalface were shedding staffers as up to nine aviation routes from the Coast to Brisbane to Asia were impacted by the coronavirus.

New marketing campaigns were focused on the domestic market and New Zealand as Destination Gold Coast had not “frozen” like some other regional tourism bodies, she said.

“No one is going to take New Zealand at the moment. That’s a market that’s strong for the Gold Coast,” Ms Battista said.