Think Tank: Surfers Paradise Alliance CEO Mike Winlaw says “we need an M2”
SURFERS Paradise Alliance CEO Mike Winlaw reckons the Gold Coast could also take a leaf out of Bali’s book when it comes to using our beachfront.
Opinion
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MIKE Winlaw has been CEO of Surfers Paradise Alliance since 2011. The group is responsible for marketing and managing the high-profile Gold Coast suburb, working with Gold Coast Tourism and the Gold Coast City Council to deliver programs and events to benefit the area. Before coming to the Coast, Mr Winlaw was president director of Accor Vacation Club in Indonesia and executive director group strategy and commercial services for the club’s Asia Pacific region. He is also a founding partner of Network Australia Consulting Group which provides management and business consulting services.
What do you love about the Gold Coast?
“I love that the Gold Coast is this microcosm of amazing experiences you could conceivably travel the world to collect — from exploring dense rainforest high up in the mountains, to taking on world-class surf breaks, all accessible in under an hour.
“From the southern beaches to the hinterland, the Gold Coast has developed into a modern and
convenient city, with access to a series of vibrant villages stretching from Coolangatta to Coomera, each reflecting a distinct local identity while also offering all the amenities to both residents and visitors.
“Gold Coast residents enjoy a wonderful lifestyle balance afforded by an unspoilt environment and great weather all year-round, which allows us to get out and about and make the most of our recreational time.
“All this and we are also blessed with high air and water quality and low levels of pollution.”
What do you think could be done better on the Gold Coast?
“I think that because the Gold Coast has enjoyed so many years in the sun as one of Australia’s first-choice holiday destinations, there can be a tendency towards complacency when it comes to our tourism offering.
“Yet, like with any other sector, we need to continue to evolve to remain competitive in the global tourism market, as well as to remain attractive to visitors from our drive, interstate and international markets, who with the acceleration of cheap air travel now have a far greater scope of affordable holiday destinations across the Asia-Pacific region.
“The Gold Coast strives to become the most recommended tourism destination in measurable terms and therefore attracting major tourism infrastructure development in the region is now a critical priority, as we are already running out of time to remain competitive.
“Improvements and developments need to be implemented as part of a greater vision or masterplan that focuses on propelling the Gold Coast to become a contemporary destination with a diverse and differentiated tourism product offering — one that appreciates, but does not solely rely on, our considerable natural beauty.
“Gold Coasters need to embrace change or we will end up like Kodak, a once great company that I benchmarked many times in my former career as a business consultant, a company that failed to recognise the waves of change in technology impacting their product offering and today because of their inability to adapt and change rapidly are just a shadow of their former business success.”
In your travels, what have you seen being done elsewhere you think could work well here?
“Many tourism destinations have successfully differentiated themselves by offering an exceptional beachside experience combining entertainment and dining, right by the water’s edge.
“With our spectacularly wide coastline, I believe this is an opportunity the Gold Coast needs to seize and one which, if done right, would add much value to the region’s tourism offering by activating that differentiating experience for our own beautiful beaches.
“We have already seen the emergence of a sophisticated dining culture on the Coast, but most of the popular cafes and restaurants have been established in villages set back from the water.
“While there has been some move towards the sustainable commercialisation of our beaches, so far nothing significant has eventuated and other than a limited number of locations across the Coast there is nowhere residents or visitors to the Gold Coast can enjoy the magic experience of dining or being entertained right on the sand as the they watch the waves lapping the shore or the moon rising over the ocean.
“We need to take our event delivery acumen and hospitality prowess deliver more significant event and experience activation on our beaches in a sustainable and environmentally appropriate way.
“I lived in Indonesia Accor and Jimbaran Bay was one of my favourites — it has great seafood and roving bands.
“This style of dining is everywhere in Bali and I have also seen the same in Penang.”
If money, time, laws and approvals were no issue, what is the one big project you’d undertake tomorrow?
“We need long-term strategic solutions to upscale major infrastructure and move forward as a modern and sustainable city a plan that is looking to the needs of the future generation, not our current needs today.
“Alleviating road congestion, and investigating and then implementing creative transport solutions, needs to be a high priority to keep pace with our rapid population growth and our need to ensure access and movement for visitors to the Gold Coast.
“I would look to make public transport free and then commit to making the network an attractive and viable option for everyone.
“We need cheaper, faster public transport both within the Gold Coast and connecting Brisbane with very fast trains and an efficient underground tunnel network like Brisbane has through congested areas.
“You only need to look at Los Angeles and the grid lock created daily to see the dire consequence of a transportation network that could not keep up with the city’s population growth.
“Here on the Gold Coast, adding extra lanes to the M1 is simply not going to be enough to fix this issue long-term.
“We need the M2 plus other significant transport infrastructure to secure a sustainable economic future for our children and grandchildren.
“And while we are on the subject of money being no barrier an idea right out there — how about a 6-star underwater resort on the Gold Coast. Imagine that experience as a differentiator for tourism.”
What conversations should Gold Coasters movers and shakers be having?
“Right now, we have this golden opportunity with the Commonwealth Games to showcase our city to the world, and we need every resident to recognise their own role in promoting what is great about the Gold Coast.
“Could the Gold Coast host the next World Expo 88?
“This event was a game-changer for Brisbane and, as we approach its 30th anniversary, it is time to consider what another global event on that scale could do for our own city.
The Commonwealth Games was the entree, but Expo 88 was the main course for delivering and
accelerating the social, cultural and economic growth of Brisbane.”
CHECKLIST
(tick) Commercial beachfront
(tick) World Expo Gold Coast
(tick) Keep tourism offering fresh
(tick) Fast train to Brisbane
(tick) Duplicate the M1
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