Noosa 'a welcoming destination'

Tourists and traffic on Noosa agenda

WORRIED: Hastings St Association president Emma Hull, Noosaville Business Association president Joel Laventure and Noosa Junction Association president Michael Tozer are concerned about slow business activity in the tourism off-peaks. Picture: Alan Lander

TOURIST numbers, parking shortages and traffic woes were on the agenda on Wednesday afternoon when three business associations, representing hundreds of members in the Noosa region, met with mayor Tony Wellington.

The Hastings Street Association, Noosa Junction Association and Noosaville Business Association united and requested a meeting with the mayor to ensure there's "a plan that protects the Noosa brand and safeguards Noosa's reputation as a welcoming destination”.

The meeting came off the back of Mr Wellington's overtourism comments that made national headlines last month.

"We discussed a wide range of issues of concern to the three organisations,” Mr Wellington said after the meeting.

"This included matters relating to tourism, the marketing of Noosa, business resilience and local transport issues.”

Speaking on behalf of the three associations, Emma Hull of the HSA said Noosa businesses now had a voice with Council.

"It was a great meeting ... we are moving in the right direction to be working closer on these issues,” she said.

"Noosa locals have long been aware of the 'visitor multiplier effect'; where a visitor's spending money circulates multiple times around Noosa's local economy on a service or amenity, creating significant economic value in Noosa, delivering vital income into local wages, which in turn, is spent in the local community.

"All too often the value to Noosa's small businesses, and their employees, is unnoticed when measuring the positive impact of visitors.”

Originally published as Noosa 'a welcoming destination'