Paul Weston opinion: A decision needs to be made ‘right now’ to boost Gold Coast’s tourism

A decision needs to be made right now about whether the Gold Coast must expand its convention and exhibition centre, writes Paul Weston.

A DECISION needs to be made right now about whether the Gold Coast must expand its convention and exhibition centre. Should the State Government fund it, or do a deal with The Star, give them a 30-year casino monopoly and have them pay for it?

Or do we look for some other new tourism attraction?

Beaches are back open on the Gold Coast. Tatiana Reyes, 24 from Surfers Paradise is happy. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT.

Talks between the Palaszczuk Government and The Star continue on an exclusivity deal after plans for a global tourism hub stalled due to community protest.

Carey Park at Southport was the only site large enough and close to light rail for a major resort and casino. Unlike Cairns, where a GTH will go ahead on old waterfront holdings, we do not have the available prime land.

Enter coronavirus.

Taxpayers, aware the city depends on tourism like Newcastle on coal ships arriving, wonder how we will kickstart the economy once the health crisis is resolved.

City leaders are talking up domestic tourism and trans- Tasman visits. Is the solution as simple as telling our Kiwi neighbours here to invite their extended family to visit more than Pacific Pines and Coomera, and maybe include the theme park down the road?

Thankfully, the GTH debate gave us a report card. Leading businessman John Witheriff, with his research report to the Government, provided the city with a tourism road map.

Closed Surfers Paradise beach because of COVID-19. (Steve Holland)

“For the Gold Coast, much of its existing stock is aged and struggling to present a compelling drawcard against key competitive destinations: Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart,” he wrote.

Mr Witheriff commented on The Star being contractually committed to a $3.6 billion investment for the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development. That city-changing project across the river from South Bank will be ready when international tourists are allowed to return.

“In contrast, The Star is not contractually bound to the State to deliver on future plans on the Gold Coast,” he wrote.

He also found the Coast’s current convention facilities are unable to compete against newer, larger venues nationally, resulting in declining market share and potential economic returns for the region. In the 2017-18 financial year, the Gold Coast hosted 3020 meetings and conventions and 222,000 delegates, generating a
$537 million economic injection. More than 600,000 people listed business as their main reason for visiting the region in the year ending March 2019 alone.

If you go to his report, in which you can see the graphs, our facility is much smaller than Brisbane’s and half the size of the southern capitals, so it should be expanded. But the question is when.

Surfers Paradise beach during the coronavirus lockdown. Picture: Jerad Williams.

Here is what the report did not write: The Star will benefit from the expansion of the current centre because delegates will stay at the casino. Many tourism operators in the heart of Surfers believe they do not get any tourism traffic from convention business.

Even if a deal was signed tomorrow, the most likely opening date for expanded facilities would be 2025.

Ask any experienced tourism leader and they will tell you that aggressive marketing is important, but as Mr Witheriff hinted, new tourism stock is far more critical. A tourism source told your columnist: “New tourism product is always a problem (for the Gold Coast). Beaches are great. The (State) Government has gone down the eco-tourism trail in boosting the Scenic Rim. The Coast could do with a new (indoor) entertainment facility.”

So we have HOTA. We have hot beaches, for most of the year. We have Metricon Stadium for outdoor concerts. We lack an indoor entertainment centre, which would be a cool new attraction.

When we all get back together and can crowd around again, we could go to a new Gold Coast indoor entertainment centre. We could even invite our Kiwi friends from Pacific Pines and Coomera – and some might even arrive from across the ditch.