Gold Coast beats Brisbane as global top sporting city despite 2032 Olympics
The Gold Coast has joined prestigious sporting cities such as Paris, London, Los Angeles and Beijing on a list of top sporting destinations around the world.
Gold Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gold Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Gold Coast has jumped up the list of the world’s top 50 sporting cities, while Brisbane, the city’s Olympic Games co-host has failed to make the list at all.
Switzerland-based communications company BCW Global Sports Practice has unveiled its annual list, which ranks the Gold Coast at No. 26, a jump from No. 46 the previous year.
Tokyo took out the top slot following the success of the Olympics, while the only Australian cities to sit above the Glitter Strip were Melbourne (No. 10) and Sydney (No. 22).
BCW managing director Lars Haue-Pedersen said the cities which made the list were perceived as being the most associated with sport.
“The ranking is based on the views of International Federations (IFs) and sports industry experts, combined with an analysis of the association between sport and a city in the digital space,” he said.
“The latter consists of the total number of mentions of the word ‘sport’ associated with the name of the city on social media platforms, blogs, and websites.
“Following almost two years of postponement, rescheduling, relocation, and modifications of sports events, it is now time to rediscover the impact major sports events have on the perception and image of cities around the world.”
The Gold Coast sat on the list amid some of the world’s great cities and sporting powerhouses including Paris, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Munich and Beijing.
It sits above Birmingham, which will host next week’s Commonwealth Games.
Former Olympian and Gold Coast Academy of Sport executive director Glynis Nunn said much had been done to boost the city’s sporting credentials.
“We did a great job with the 2018 Commonwealth Games and it was a great foundation to build on, especially as we have some great facilities left over from them,” she said.
“Hopefully before both Brisbane 2032 and Victoria 2026 other countries will be looking at places to train (and considering the Gold Coast)”.
The Gold Coast reputation as a sporting cities has been bolstered following the successful hosting of the 2018 Games and the 2019 Sports Accord conference.
Mayor Tom Tate welcomed the ranking, which he said was the result of “hard work and a demonstrated ability to deliver”.
“The world decision makers of sport know we have the facilities, consistent weather, 90,000-plus hotel beds, incredible natural attractions and three world-class universities to draw on for sports science and research support,” he said.
“Further, we are maximising post Games legacy with our venues running at 90-plus per cent capacity and our city’s volunteering ranks still at record highs.
“I’m delighted to join Melbourne and Sydney in the top 26. No other Australian cities even came close.’’
It comes despite the Gold Coast City Council being snubbed from a place on the Olympic Board despite providing eight venues for the event, it is co-hosting with Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
It will also host an athlete’s village at Robina
The mayor said the city sporting credentials had crown significantly after the Sports Accord.
“We were fresh from the 2018 Games which was a great success, having been the first time the para-sports program and able-bodied program had run at the same time,” he said.
“That outcome in itself showed the world we can manage large crowds, different sporting disciplines, security protocols, athlete transfers, accommodation and sponsorship functions simultaneously.”
Revealed: New reality TV series’ massive Coast boost
A South Korean reality TV show featuring some of the Asian nation’s biggest celebrities will be shot on the Gold Coast this year and is tipped to pour millions of dollars into the local economy.
Bucket List Travel to Australia will be produced by one of South Korea’s biggest television networks, Seoul Broadcast System and will air in a prime-time slot before Christmas.
Tourism leaders say the series, which will showcase the city’s beaches and attractions including the Wonder Reef dive site, will generate more than $40m in advertising revenue for the city.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said South Korea was an important market for the city.
More than 34,000 Koreans visited the Gold Coast annually before the Covid pandemic began.
“Pre-Covid, South Korea was our sixth largest market for international holiday visitors and we saw steady loads when Jetstar commenced direct services between Seoul and Gold Coast,” she said.
“We know South Koreans have an affinity with nature, blue skies, and a relaxed lifestyle which are all attributes of a Gold Coast holiday.
“The reality TV series will not only showcase the breadth and depth of what’s on offer for South Koreans in the Sunshine State after two years of border closures but help to keep the Gold Coast top-of-mind for future travel considerations.”
The deal was struck this week during a five-day trade mission to Japan and Korea by “Team Queensland” – an alliance of Destination Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), the Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) and Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ).
The tour was initiated to sell the city and state to the Asian markets after two years of Covid border closures.
The series will be helmed by leading Korean producer Jiwon Lee, who previously worked on long-running reality show Law of the Jungle.
Revealed: Covid’s true impact on Gold Coast’s economy
Tourists injected $220m into the Gold Coast economy during the school holidays as new data reveals the devastating sledgehammer blow Covid dealt to the city’s tourism sector.
The city’s biggest industry and employer was worth $6bn in 2019 but new Regional Tourism Satellite Accounts data released this week shows the value of tourism dropped to $2.7bn during the 2020-21 financial year, the first under Covid restrictions.
The number of people it employed fell from 41,000 to 29,100, a 17 per cent year-on-year decline.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said the 2020-21 figures showed how far the city had come in the recovery.
“It’s no secret that Covid-19 hit the heart and soul of Gold Coast’s tourism industry, taking with it over 12,000 skilled people in the tourism workforce, some 10 million visitors and $5.6bn in revenue to businesses,” she said.
“As we draw near to the end of another successful school holidays on our road to recovery, it’s important to look back and reflect on what our industry has clawed back from and also acknowledge we have a long way to go.”
The winter school holidays is the second break to be held without restrictions or a major natural disaster since late 2019.
Last year’s winter holidays were a disaster with a pair of snap lockdowns, border closures and the abandonment of major events such as the Gold Coast Marathon.
While council and Destination Gold Coast reports both say the city’s economy won’t fully recover until 2025, the first half of 2022 has brought significant wins for the sector.
In February, the state government unveiled a $200m international aviation fund – stumping up $100m matched by four Queensland airports including the Gold Coast – to lure more flights and airlines back to Australia.
In May, it was announced the Gold Coast would host the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), the southern hemisphere’s biggest international tourism convention in 2023. More than 2000 people, including leading industry figures, travel agents, airline executives and media from more than 70 countries, will come to the Coast
Despite mounting concern about the latest Covid variant and spiking cases, visitors have continued to flock into the city.
Ms O’Callaghan, whose organisation was given a significant funding boost in June’s council budget and a mandate to boost visitor numbers, said the Gold Coast remained a popular destination.
“More recent figures also highlight our recovery, with the Gold Coast the number one destination in Queensland for interstate holiday-makers,” she said.
“This time last year the Gold Coast was in lockdown, and today it’s fantastic to see occupancy sitting above 70 per cent on average and spiking as high as 90 per cent on some days.
“With everything coming off, this could potentially be a $221m winter school holidays.”
Revealed: When Coast economy will finally recover from Covid
The Gold Coast economy’s Covid recovery is outpacing the rest of the state on the back of jobs growth and three supercharged industries a new report reveals.
The Gold Coast City Council report on the state of the city’s economy shows the Glitter Strip’s growth is ahead of most of the sunshine state.
However, there is a caution that the city’s fiscal performance is still years away from returning to pre-pandemic levels. The report, penned in May by council senior economist Dr Safar Khan, showed the health, construction and manufacturing industries jointly injected $9bn into the city’s economy in 2020-21
“Overall, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a great economic shock in 2020 and 2021, though the economic recession from the pandemic was short-lived,” the report reads.
“The Gold Coast’s overall economy has shown strong recovery and growth relative to state and national level benchmarks.
“Post-Covid-19, in 2021, the Gold Coast economy with 1.7 per cent productivity growth showed a strong recovery relative to regional Queensland, Queensland, and Australia with -1.04 per cent, -0.02 per cent, and 0.88 per cent growth respectively.”
Key findings of the report include:
The Gold Coast economy has grown 2.3 per cent overall since 2020, compared with Regional Queensland, Queensland, and Australia with the growth of 0.6 per cent, 1.8 per cent, and 1.2 per cent respectively in 2021.
The health sector generated $3.6bn in that period to become the city’s most powerful non-tourism industry, followed by construction and manufacturing, which added $2.9bn and $2.5bn respectively to the economy.
These three industries have collectively injected $9.1bn into the economy post-2022
Mayor Tom Tate welcomed the report’s findings but urged Gold Coasters to continue to buy local to support the economy.
“The green shoots of economic recovery are starting to come through – but we have more to do,’’ he said.
“The report confirms that our economy is recovering faster than other state economies yet post-Covid impacts remain, with a key challenge being employers looking for quality staff and supplies.
“Our export outlook remains buoyant and I will next month lead a Mayoral Mission to the UK including Birmingham.
“The best way to keep our economy on a northerly trajectory is for locals to buy local, employ local and back local. Council is doing that with $400m budgeted in our $1.7bn city budget for local procurement in 2022/23.’’
However, the report warns the Gold Coast’s economy is still lagging behind pre-Covid growth levels and is not expected to match them until 2025.
“Compared to pre-Covid-19 forecasts, the Gold Coast economy will be $2bn smaller in 2022 (than pre-Covid forecasts), with this impact relatively low compared to state figures,” the report read.
“Projections suggest the Gold Coast economy will be $2.4bn or 5.3 per cent smaller in 2024 relative to the pre-Covid-19 scenario.
“Forecasts suggest there will be around 8414 fewer jobs than expected.”
However, the report noted rebounding trade and tourism figures were already lifting the economy faster than anticipated.
“It is encouraging that our economy is rebounding strongly unlike the delayed economic recovery witnessed globally,” the report read.
“As our economy continues to recover, new and emerging trade opportunities are likely to be a key driver of improvements in productivity and living standards.”
The tourism recovery was made clear last month when passenger numbers passing through the Gold Coast Airport terminal exceeded the same month in 2019 by 10 per cent.
New Destination Gold Coast data showed tourism was booming during the early days of the school holidays, with Hotel occupancy for the three-week period averaging 70 per cent but is spiking as high as 90 per cent on some days.
More Coverage
Originally published as Gold Coast beats Brisbane as global top sporting city despite 2032 Olympics
‘She never left Main Beach’: Tribute to the queen of Tedder Ave
The city has lost a Main Beach matriarch who helped create the vision and reputation for the famous Gold Coast street.
Power outage hits central Gold Coasters
A major power outage has suddenly hit the central Gold Coast suburbs of Mermaid and Broadbeach. UPDATES