Hairdresser and champion boat racer Stefan Ackerie shares his vision for the Gold Coast

Hair-dressing supremo, world-record-breaking boat racer, savvy businessman and veteran restaurateur Stefan Ackerie believes we need to give our tourists more for less if we want to keep them.

Stefan Ackerie. Photo: Darren England.

An avid power boat racer with six Australian championships and a world record to his name, Stefan came to Australia from Lebanon in 1957. In the decades since, he has built one of the largest hairdressing chains in the country, with more than stores across Queensland and New South Wales — managed by his wife Rose King. A multimillion-dollar overhaul of Stefan’s latest venture — Boating World at Coomera — is set to be relaunched within weeks.

What do you love about the Gold Coast?

“It literally is a paradise, not just the beaches but the weather, the people. I remember when I drove into Surfers Paradise it was a beautiful day, I was in a beautiful blue sports car, everybody was waving to me and I was waving back to everybody.

“I think God may have had some thoughts about living here himself, it’s a beautiful place.”

What could be done better on the Gold Coast?

“The people who make things happen should not delay things when they don’t have to be delayed unnecessarily.

“I think the people who work for governments, instead of thinking we’re the enemy, they should think that we’re their friend. They work for Australia and we work for Australia and they could make things happen easier and simpler instead of putting up barriers.

“There are only about seven million people who work in Australia, and out of that seven million people, nearly half work for the government, so you can see (private businesses) are a partnership with the government.

“Things can only done better if we work in harmony.”

In your travels, what have you seen being done elsewhere you think could work well here?

“The Gold Coast is a tourist attraction and it’s so important that people who come here feel like they’re in a holiday resort.

“The Gold Coast has to be competitive. Today cars are cheaper, travel is cheaper than it was 10 years ago.

“People are constantly trying to lure us to other destinations and you find you can go to Bali or Thailand or Hong Kong cheaper than you can come to the Gold Coast from Melbourne or Sydney.

“That needs to be rethought, and if they don’t rethink it

and unite, and in some way become more competitive, they’re not going to get that tourist dollar.”

If time, money, laws, time and approvals were not an issue, what is one big project you’d undertake tomorrow?

“I definitely think the cruise ship terminal would be an amazing thing. A lot of people say they don’t want the Coast to change.

“It’s like saying ‘I like my lawn like it is, I’ve just cut it, I’ve watered it, I’m going to leave it alone’. “But if you leave it alone and don’t keep watering it, it dies.

“People say they want the Coast to stay how it is but it’s a bit too late for that. If they like the Coast the way it used to be, they need to move down to Burleigh or up to Paradise Point or Jacob’s Well, but the (central) Gold Coast, will never be like it was the day I first drove into it.

“There is a growing population with infrastructure and employment that has to be maintained. If I could press the button, I would press the button on the terminal.

“The current proposal is something that’s been put up to begin. They’ll change it, the government will change it — it is a starting point.

“It will happen, it’s just a matter of when.”

What are the conversations Gold Coast’s movers and shakers should be having?

“Make it more affordable to come here, and when they come here, be more respectful of the people who come here.

“If those visitors went somewhere else, there would be no movers and shakers here.

“I think some people misunderstand the service industry. They think serving someone is a demeaning task, but is actually think having the privilege to serve someone is an honour.

“So when people come here, we need to welcome them.”