Commonwealth Games legacy brings $61m extra in major events and more locals interested in sport
One year after the Commonwealth Games kicked off, a new report has revealed the event helped generate an eye-watering amount of money through its legacy — a booming major events industry. But that’s not all it did for the city.
Commonwealth Games
Don't miss out on the headlines from Commonwealth Games. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Commonwealth Games has kickstarted the Coast’s major events industry, with new modelling revealing $61 million was generated across more than 320 events at venues built or upgraded for the Games.
On the first anniversary of the Gold Coast hosting Queensland’s biggest ever sporting event, it can be revealed the Games also contributed to more locals participating in sport.
Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones said the Gold Coast City Council had already booked 50 events for 2020.
INDIGENOUS PROTESTERS AT THE COMM GAMES OPENING CEREMONY
“Today’s data proves that the Commonwealth Games are having a real impact on the Gold Coast’s tourism industry,” Ms Jones said.
OTHER NEWS:
RFG shares plummet as asset sale talks collapse
Teen punches cop because ‘he deserved it’
Southport hotel welcomes 23,000 guests in first year
“This wouldn’t have been possible without our $1.5 billion investment in infrastructure ahead of the Commonwealth Games.”
Economic modelling to be released today reveals that in the six months directly following the Games, more than 320 events were held in venues that hosted the Games.
The major upgrade to the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre — the showpiece of GC2018 swimming and diving — was the big crowd puller.
BOB GORDON GIVEN KEYS TO CITY AS PART OF SUCCESSFUL GAMES BID
“Since the Games, the Coast continues to attract high-profile events at the aquatic centre with the pool rescue competition at the world lifesaving championships to be held at the venue over August and September 2024,” Ms Jones said.
“The event will host 5000 competitors from 50 countries and contribute a $15 million boost to the local economy.
“This is exactly what the Commonwealth Games legacy is all about — new major events that support tourism jobs on the Gold Coast.”
The GC2018 Visitor Survey revealed a further 440,000 extra visitors in the years following the Games.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said she expected even more.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE BULLETIN FOR JUST $5 A MONTH FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS
100 TOP GAMES MOMENTS PART ONE
“These figures may be somewhat conservative in their estimates, and we anticipate that when coupled with further tourism investment and strong destination marketing, the Gold Coast will retain its status as Queensland’s tourism titan,” she said.
“The greatest impact of the Games is being felt over the next few years with tourism and the event economies set to benefit the most.
“From a tourism perspective the key indicators for success include an increase in visitation and spend, heightened destination awareness and the ability to attract more major events.”
A recent Griffith University study forecast the Games would deliver 1.27 million visitors in the four years leading up to and during the event.
This is despite the Coast only achieving a 1.4 per cent lift in international tourism, well below the statewide rise of 4.6 per cent last year.
NEXT STOP TOKYO FOR GOLD COAST SWIMMER
Gold Coast City Council statistics show the re-purposed sporting venues have attracted 617,000 patrons and hosted 323 events since the Games finished.
Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon, who is the Assistant Tourism Industry Development Minister, welcomed the impact of the Games on community participation rates in sport.
“Some Gold Coast venues have reported a 200 per cent increase in weekend sport participation,” she said.
OTHER NEWS:
‘Swearing, abusive’ parents harass Coast teachers
Motorists warned after screws scattered on Coast’s roads
Coast residents treated ‘like second class citizens’
“We invested heavily in new sports venues and significant improvements to existing facilities ahead of the Games and our community is reaping the rewards now.”
Di Dixon, project director at the Gold Coast’s Health and Knowledge precinct, credited the Games with jump-starting the area’s multimillion-dollar development.
“It really provided an opportunity just to raise our profile, using the Games as that leverage,” she said.
‘AUSSIES’ DELIVER $20M BOOST, BUSIER THAN COMM GAMES SAYS COAST MP
“For the Games it was really having that lead-up program that was very well organised and very well promoted globally … to be able to reach places like London, Montreal and the Singapore market in ways we wouldn’t have otherwise had.
“The soft legacy is the promotion, credibility, recognition of the precinct worldwide and then we’ve got the hard legacy of infrastructure, having a developable precinct.”
Chair of the Legacy Advisory Committee Rob Borbidge said while the Games had presented a “unique opportunity” for the Gold Coast, it had also been a learning experience.
“I think in retrospect a mistake was made in terms of a lot of the hype about how busy we were,” he said.
“Ticket sales were a success, the Games were a financial success and everything went well but I think there was an impression created that you wouldn’t be able to move on the roads, that the Gold Coast would be congested.
“So we had a lot of local people who left during the Games, and some people from areas around the Coast who would have driven around to events probably thought it was going to be too crowded and too congested.
“That was a mistake. No doubt that did impact on a lot of the businesses. That’s a lesson for next time, but inevitably when you have a major event people come here for the events.”
GOLDOC’s chief executive officer Mark Peters, who relocated to the Gold Coast during his time working on the Games, said he had seen his staff do the same.
“A lot of our staff that were from interstate or overseas have stayed, some would have liked to have stayed but it’s all about opportunities and what you want to do,” he said.
“A number of people of very high skill levels have stayed on the Coast after the Games.
PETER BEATTIE REFLECTS ON HIGHS AND LOWS OF COMM GAMES
“You run major events for a whole lot of reasons. What you want is more local people experiencing the diversity of a world event, you want to see businesses develop their skills.
“Constantly, whether it’s through the Queen’s Baton Relay, whether it’s the 1.5 billion people who saw it on TV … you expose yourself to the world and that’s a key element.”
Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre director Brendan Flynn said the training facility for GC2018 athletes had experienced a post-Games boom with membership numbers soaring.
“Because of the Commonwealth Games, we upgraded our running track and hockey pitch to an internationally accredited standard and we also upgraded our gym just prior to the Games, and we have never been busier,” Mr Flynn said.
MAJOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT DELAYS DURING COMM GAMES OPENING CEREMONY
“Gym membership is up 20 per cent and weekend participation is up 200 per cent.
“We are hosting athletes and teams from different sporting codes from China, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Myanmar.
“We are a training venue for athletes competing in the INAS Global Games in October, with teams from France, the United States, Oceania Region and the Czech Republic.
“The teams will be living and training on the Gold Coast pre-games so those athletes will be eating, sleeping, shopping and using local facilities for more than four weeks.
Gold Coast Basketball has also reported a spike in registration numbers on the back of the Games and its legacy of an improved facility at Carrara, with an additional night of junior competition added to the schedule.
Mayor Tom Tate said council data showed strong participation in sport across its venues.
“The flow-on effect is that visiting competitors often bring family and supporters with them, boosting our accommodation providers, restaurants, hire car outlets and shopping precincts,” he said.
“Post-Games legacy is expected to be a part of the city’s story for at least the next decade or more.’’
Council data for its own venues shows a strong resurgence in sport participation and a strong surge in bookings over the next several years.
‘It was a kick up the bum professionally’
A role at the Commonwealth Games gave this worker the ‘kick up the bum professionally’ she needed to help decide what she wanted to with her life.
Volunteer credits the Comm Games for her career
This Coast resident put in almost 18 months volunteering for the Commonwealth Games - and along with getting an experience of a lifetime, it has paid off career-wise.