2020-01-13 GC Agenda - Item 10 - Attachment 2 - The Value of Tourism to the Noosa Community October 2019 FINAL REPORT

The presence of a significant and international tourism sector can also influence the types of
interactions to which local communities are exposed. This can add value and depth to the
extent of cultural experiences and knowledge, including the types of languages and skills
utilised in an area.

Furthermore, while the combination of the high amenity and the high demand for visitation
often equates to higher property prices, this can also attract further income for Council
through higher rates and charges than would otherwise be the case. This, in turn, can
enable a higher level of spending on infrastructure in the local government area, which
again, increases the amenity and attractiveness of an area.

Finally, although tourism can influence the workforce to be more ‘casualised’ and lowly paid,
it does provide a number of jobs and training for certain demographic groups, particularly
youth and locally employed people.

However, there can be unintended negative social and cultural impacts associated with
tourism. These can include:

    •   Affordability issues, including:
            o Increasing property prices to the point where affordable housing for staff
                (on low wages) is difficult to find;
            o Leases associated with business premises become unaffordable for many
                industry types; and,
            o An increase in the price of goods and services where locals find it difficult to
                shop affordably.
    •   An area becoming so popular for tourists that housing and services for locals are
        ‘pushed out’ in favour of accommodation and services for the tourism market;
    •   Unwanted lifestyle changes for local residents, such as an unwanted increase in
        population at ‘peak times’ causing increased traffic congestion and demand for car-
        parking, infrastructure and services and/or potentially attract less than respectful
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