2020-01-13 GC Agenda - Item 10 - Attachment 1 - Report on the Sustainable Tourism Stakeholder Reference Group

Section 2

        REPORT ON THE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
          STAKEHOLDER REFERENCE GROUP
Background
Noosa has a wonderful problem: how best to manage its own success.
Noosa’s tourism success is very much a product of resident activism, including some progressive thinkers
who together prevented Noosa from developing in the same way as most other seaside locales.
Of particular note would be the effort by Noosa Parks Association to prevent development of the Noosa
headland, now a key attraction for Noosa and the most visited national park in Queensland. Other factors
include: the rescue of Cooloola from mining, logging and development interests; continuing efforts to
increase protected habitat areas and preserve them, particularly as national parks; limits on building
heights and other big city symbols such as large-scale advertising and traffic lights; plus a well-established
limit on population growth colloquially known as a “population cap”.
All told, this approach to sensitive development has created a Noosa Shire that is renowned for its
sensitivity to the environment and overall focus on sustainability.
In brief, being “green” has been a boon to Noosa’s economy, with not just the tourism sector but also other
businesses benefitting from the Noosa “brand”.
It is now important that Noosa must once again deal with what some perceive to be a looming threat – that
of ever-increasing tourism numbers. Today, tourists are attracted to a place that purposefully limited
development in order to retain a “village feel”. But community concerns have been raised about the
impacts of that very attractiveness and its long-term repercussions for the village feel that many cherish.

The Sustainable Tourism Stakeholder Reference Group (STSRG) comprises representatives from key business,
environment and resident associations across the shire, plus Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council. The
participants represent the following organisations:
Zero Emissions Noosa Inc
Hastings Street Association
Noosa Residents & Ratepayers Association
Noosa Community Biosphere Association
Noosa Junction Association
Noosa Parks Association
Noosaville Business Association
Noosa Chamber of Commerce
Cooroy Area Residents Association
Heart of Pomona
Cooroy Chamber of Commerce
Peregian Beach Community Association
Noosa Integrated Catchment Association
Noosa and District Landcare

The STSRG first met on 7 March 2018. It has met a further 9 times in the intervening period.
The inspiration for creating the STSRG arose from a meeting between Tourism Noosa’s board of directors
and Noosa Council’s councillors. In particular, these discussions were focussed on growing community
concerns about the impacts of tourism on resident amenity. Those resident concerns included matters
pertaining to traffic congestion, access to public places and the impact of events, with regular letters being
published in the local newspapers at the time about such concerns.

                                                                                                2|Page

Section 3

The Terms of Reference for the STSRG (Attachment 1) state:

The Sustainable Tourism Stakeholder Reference Group is intended to be a collaborative group formed to
facilitate a collective understanding of what "sustainable tourism" means for Noosa. The Reference Group
will explore issues and opportunities with regards to local tourism, its benefits and impacts. The Reference
Group will provide feedback to both Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa on a sustainable future for the local
tourism sector that is aligned to and respects the aspirations of the Noosa community. At the end of this
process, we should have a shared agreement about what a sustainable tourism sector means for Noosa.
This could lead to a “social contract” between the tourism sector, Noosa Council and the community.

From the outset, the concept was raised of the STSRG being the catalyst for some sort of social contract
between Council and the community that might outline an agreed vision for sustainable tourism in the
Noosa Shire into the future.
The STSRG has closely considered a wide range of issues in relation to tourism, its benefits and impacts. The
group has operated amicably and with considerable goodwill. Inevitably there have been some differences
of opinion, however there has also been unanimity on some key issues – namely: (i) that both resident
amenity and visitor experience are critical to the debate and (ii) that we need to start planning for the
future now. A phrase that has arisen in this discussion and appears to be generally accepted by the group
is: “What is good for the resident is also good for the tourist.”
Another overarching agreement is that Noosa Shire faces a potential looming issue in relation to the
expected population growth on our doorstep. The SEQ Regional Plan anticipates close to 200,000 residents
being added to the Sunshine Coast local government area, and an additional 2 million to SEQ generally by
2041. Such growth, particularly at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast, has the potential to put
increasing pressure on Noosa and its public infrastructure, including the road network, primarily through
increased numbers of day visitors wanting to drive into and out of Noosa in a single day. (More on this
later.)
What follows is a summary of key issues raised at the STSRG meetings and some responses from both
Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa. It must be remembered that any solutions or innovations aimed at
sustainable tourism and resident amenity will inevitably be complex and multi-faceted. In other words,
there is no silver bullet, much as we would like there to be.
Efforts in other jurisdictions around the world have demonstrated that Noosa is far from alone in seeking
answers to the question of sustainable tourism and its impacts. And, of course, solutions being employed in
some places may not be readily transferable to Noosa, particularly where they relate to locations that have
a single point of access or where ticket sales determine visitor numbers.
The STSRG has received numerous presentations and various documents in their pursuit of better
understanding of tourism in Noosa. Much of this information has cut through popular misunderstandings
about issues such as impact of events, feasibility of transport solutions etc.
At best, the STSRG has demonstrated a willingness by peak community groups with often disparate
agendas and very different vested interests to work together amicably for the benefit of all. This in itself is a
significant achievement and testimony to the nature of our wonderful shire.
The breadth of issues in the following report give some idea of the amount of work that the STSRG has
actually done. Although there is some frustration amongst the members that not enough appears to have
been achieved, in actual fact many of the issues raised at the STSRG have either been addressed or are
being acted upon. It is perhaps a failing of both Council and TN that neither have made it clear to the STSRG
that actions taken with a focus on tourism issues are as a result of matters raised at the STSRG. The STSRG
has had more influence on both organisations than perhaps the members recognise. By its very presence,
the STSRG maintains a high level of interest in tourism issues and the very future of our shire.




                                                                                                    3|Page

Section 4

Issues

1. Tourism Data
It is fair to say that tourism in Noosa has enjoyed a series of good years since the end of the global financial
crisis. Certainly there has been considerable growth whether measured by visitor numbers or by financial
benefits to the local economy.

Overnight visitors are significant because they are the visitors targeted by Tourism Noosa’s “value over
volume” strategy. This strategy ensures that destination marketing is pitched at the visitor that provides
the highest economic value, that being the overnight visitor, as opposed to the drive-in day visitor.

Tourism Research Australia figures for the year ending December 2019 (see table below) show that there
were slightly more day trippers (1.3 million) than overnight visitors (1.164 million). The total spend of the
overnight visitors is $998.6 million, whereas the total spend for the day trip visitors is close to ten percent
of that overnight visitor total, with day trip spend being $98 million.

What is perhaps most interesting is that total overnight visitor numbers were up 8% on the previous year,
and total numbers of day trip visitors were up twice as much at 17%. This may indicate the beginnings of a
trend towards increasing numbers of day visitors? Yet, in spite of this increase in day visitor numbers, their
overall spend was actually down by -6%. In other words, there were more day trip visitors but they were
spending less overall. Meanwhile, the spend of the overnight visitors went up by 18%.




The success of the value over volume strategy can be seen in the following bar graph of the 4-year change
between 2015 and 2019 for overnight visitors. Although the numbers of overnight visitors have increased
by 26.8%, they are staying in Noosa for more nights, and the total spend for overnight visitors is up by
58.5% over the 4 year period.


                                                                                                    4|Page

Section 5

The economic benefit of tourism to the shire has been estimated by various sources in various ways.
Unfortunately, the statistics coming from the ABS and other sources do not readily distinguish between
businesses reliant on tourism and those less reliant on tourism.
However, recent research funded by Council along with Tourism Noosa (see attachment to this report)
found that total tourism and hospitality sales in the Shire area in 2016/17 was $1 billion. The total value-
added from these sales was $513 million. At this time there were 3,677 people directly employed in
Noosa’s tourism and hospitality industry, equating to 2,648 full time equivalent jobs. The flow-on impact on
employment attributable to tourism and hospitality was 5,785 people, equating to 4,592 jobs.
The report also noted that the total output of tourism in Noosa has grown from $645 million in 1999/2000
to $1 billion in 2017/18, with an average growth rate of 2.6% (adjusted for inflation). Total value-added has
also grown, from $297 million to $513 million over the same period. This represents average annual growth
of 3.3% (adjusted for inflation). It is worth noting that this period includes the GFC which was responsible
for a general downturn in the tourism market.
The report also notes that “since 2010/11 Noosa, as a tourist destination, has been outperforming
Queensland as a whole in attracting visitors in proportional terms.”
By the direct value-added to GRP measure, the five most valuable industries in Noosa are:
Health Care and Social Assistance ($249.5 million)
Construction ($198.7 million)
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services ($190.9 million)
Retail Trade ($186.3 million)
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services ($176.8 million)
Economy.id estimated the direct value-added from tourism at $262 million, which would make it the
largest industry in Noosa, above health care and social assistance.
It is noted that tourism is not a separately recognised industry and is estimated by taking value-added from
tourism-related industries such as accommodation and food services, arts and recreation, and retail,
amongst others. Accommodation and food services as a stand-alone industry ranks 7th, with a value-added
of $165 million.
                                                                                                 5|Page

Section 6

For residents of Noosa, there are some obvious advantages to living in a successful tourist centre. These
include increased choice of places to eat, drink and shop, plus opportunities to enjoy events ranging from
cultural to sporting. However, there are also drawbacks, which in brief include: alienation from certain
localities (particularly at peak times); increased traffic congestion, again especially at peak holiday times;
road closures associated with events; impacts on the natural environment; and the cost of maintaining
public infrastructure which is utilised by tourists.
Residents responding to a survey were asked to select a statement that best reflected their thoughts
regarding tourism in Noosa. Of the 300 responding, nearly 80 percent of all respondents indicated that they
either strongly approved (36 percent) or slightly approve (43 percent) of tourism because it’s good for the
community and economy. People aged between 30-64 were more likely to strongly approve, and people
aged up to 30 or over 65 were more likely to slightly approve. Only 4 percent of total respondents strongly
disapproved of tourism in Noosa. Interestingly, the Sunshine Coast and Queensland areas evidenced similar
statistics to these.
The bar graph below shows the response by residents to preferred tourism development growth. It is
perhaps worth noting that, although overall attitudes to tourism are generally positive, a significant
number do not want to see any more tourism growth.




Responses:
Tourism Noosa has begun to move away from being a Destination Marketing Organisation and more
towards becoming a Destination Management Organisation. This reflects not only TN’s focus on value-over-
volume, but also a conscious awareness that the tourism sector needs to work in concert with the local
community and be cognizant of resident concerns. The carbon footprint of tourism is also front of mind, as
is the increasing desire of tourists to travel more sustainably. This shift in focus by TN also demonstrates
that TN is taking their role as part custodians of the Noosa environment seriously. More on this later.



                                                                                                    6|Page

Section 7

Noosa Council, meanwhile, has established the Sustainable Tourism Stakeholder Reference Group to
ensure there is good dialogue between the many community and tourism stakeholders. It is essential that
this dialogue continues into the near future. Meanwhile, Council has been working on traffic solutions, has
established a shire-wide events policy, and continues to work with TN on a range of environmental
initiatives, from Plastic Free Noosa to Zero Emissions. Again, these matters will be expanded on later in this
report.
What Next?
Data will continue to be collated, especially from Tourism Research Australia.
The STSRG will continue to discuss issues related to tourism. Such discussions usefully illuminate areas of
agreement and disagreement.
More importantly, popular beliefs, including myths and misconceptions, can be scrutinised and analysed
through the STSRG process.
The original aim was for the group to develop some sort of social contract with the Noosa community. That
would involve general agreements about what sustainable tourism should look like for Noosa, with perhaps
some suggested steps to reach that goal.
A first step may be an Accord document that participants involved in the STSRG can agree to. Thus far, such
an Accord has proven elusive, even though there are many matters on which the STSRG agree. Primary
amongst these matters is the universal agreement that resident amenity and the tourist experience must
remain the focus of any actions and/or agreed outcomes and that we need to plan for the future now.

2. Events
Concerns have been raised by residents that there are too many events and also too many road closures
associated with events. A closer look at this issue reveals that perceptions do not always align with reality.
Letters to the local papers have suggested that “there are events every weekend” and that there are “road
closures almost every weekend”.
The STSRG was provided with the following list of large-scale events on public land.
The following occur on the coast:
     Noosa Triathlon Multi-sport Festival (Noosa Heads etc)
    Noosa Food & Wine Festival (Noosa Heads)
    Noosa Festival of Surfing (Noosa Heads)
    Runaway Noosa Marathon (Noosa Heads/Noosaville)
    Noosa Summer Swim (Noosa Heads)
    Noosa Ultimate Sports Festival (Noosa Heads)
    Noosa Ultraman (Noosa Heads)
    Noosa Alive! (Noosa Heads)
The following occur in the hinterland:
     King of the Mountain Festival (Pomona)
     Fusion Festival (Cooroy)
     Xmas in Cooroy (Cooroy)
     Australian Body Art Festival (Cooroy)
     Noosa Hill Climb (Gyndier Rd, Tinbeerwah)
     Noosa Festival of Water (Botanic Gardens)
     Friends of Botanic Gardens Plant Fair (Botanic Gardens)
The following events require road closures on the coast.
     Noosa Tri Friday - just Hastings St for 2 hours Sat – Noosaville for half day
     Sat – Noosa Parade for half day
     Sun – Noosa Heads to Cooroy for half day
     Runaway Noosa Marathon - Noosa Heads to Hilton Esplanade for half day
     Velothon - one lane closure of Eenie Creek Rd for 3 hours and Bellie Creek Rd for 3 hours
     Noosa Wine & Food Festival long lunch - 1 lane of Hastings St for 1 day

                                                                                                   7|Page

Section 8

And the following events require road closures occur in Tewantin and the hinterland.
    Xmas in Cooroy (half day)
    King of the Mountain in Pomona (1 day)
    Remembrance Day, Tewantin (1/2 day)
    Vietnam Veterans Day, Tewantin (1/2 day)
    New Year’s Eve on the Lake, Boreen Point (1/2 day)
    ANZAC Day Parades, Tewantin & Cooroy (1/2 day)
    Tewantin Noosa RSL Xmas Carols (1/2 day)
Taken as a whole, there are 10 significant events that occur across the shire on weekends:
    Noosa Alive!
    Noosa Wine & Food Festival
    Runaway Marathon
    Noosa Festival of Surfing
    Noosa Triathlon
    Noosa Summer Swim
    King of the Mountain, Pomona
    Xmas in Cooroy
    Cooroy Fusion Festival
    Australian Body Art Festival
Events play an important role in bringing people together to celebrate and promote cultural, community
and environmental values. Plainly events serve not only visitors who come to Noosa for specific events, but
they are also enjoyed by many local residents. Residents participate in their thousands in events such as
The Noosa Tri or the Noosa Alive! festival. And the lists above demonstrate that many public events are
aimed largely at locals, particularly those in the hinterland.




Responses:
In 2018 and 2019, Noosa Council responded to a range of concerns about events. This included issues about
public land being alienated from residents, road closures and their impacts, plus the concentration of events in
the high profile area of Main Beach.
Due also to continual pressure on Council to approve events on Noosa Main Beach, Council developed its
Noosa Main Beach Events Policy in 2018. This followed significant consultation with stakeholders and the
community. This policy caps the number and type of events that can be held on Noosa Main Beach, with the
aim of protecting this important asset for locals and visitors as well as minimising amenity impacts on Hastings
Street businesses, particularly resorts.
In 2019, again in consultation with stakeholders and the community, Council also developed a shire-wide
Events Policy. Put simply, this policy caps the number of events at their current level. It also establishes clear
benchmarks for quality and environmental outcomes. The policy notes that, “The day-to-day recreational use
of community land by residents and visitors will generally take precedence over events.”


                                                                                                    8|Page

Section 9

Tourism Noosa has established its own environment and sustainability guidelines for events which they
support. The focus has been on minimising waste to landfill as well as the introduction of a levy on event
participants to support the Trees for Tourism program.
What Next?
Noosa Council plans to develop a land use master plan for the Hastings Street precinct that will further
establish parameters for events and other uses of public land in this high profile precinct.
Noosa Council will review its events policies as required.
Both Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council will encourage further sustainability actions by events operators
across the shire.



3. Short-Stay Accommodation
The issue of short-stay accommodation has come up regularly during STSRG meetings. It is clear that the
recent rapid rise of on-line booking platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz has significantly increased the total bed
capacity of the shire. This has no doubt been a boon for many tourism businesses as well as accommodation
managers and support services.
Recent data analysis has identified more than 3,000 individual properties in the Shire that are being let
on-line. Of course, a significant number of these are properties that were traditionally being let through real
estate agents, property managers and resort managers. However, a quick look at the map below shows that
these properties have also spread into non-traditional tourist areas including residential suburbs.




Whilst the tourism sector is experiencing good economic times, there has been little push-back from
traditional accommodation providers to this relatively new “disruptive” sector. However, that tolerance
could change should we experience a tourism down-turn?
From Council’s point of view, the advent of short-stay on-line booking sites and peer-to-peer letting has
presented a series of land-use issues. Council’s planning team receive regular complaints about loss of
resident amenity resulting from houses being let to tourists. Although so-called party houses represent the
extreme end of this continuum, even properties let to families and the like for holiday use may generate
conflicts with permanent residents. This is because people on holiday tend not to keep the same hours nor
behave in the same way as people who are working. Apart from noise amenity, issues also arise with regards

                                                                                                  9|Page

Section 10

to on-street parking, rubbish management, noisy visiting pets, and, at a more nuanced level, disruption to
sense of community for residents living beside or near to such rental properties.
Noosa Council has been at pains to note that such problems primarily relate to the properties that are let in
their entirety, not to those where a spare bedroom or two are let out by a permanent resident – i.e.
genuinely home-hosted properties. Research across Australia suggests that such home-hosted properties are
in the minority of listings, being around a third of all on-line short-stay properties.
The other concern for Council is that the increase in short-stay properties has inevitably resulted in a
reduction of properties available for permanent residents. Research both in Australia and overseas also
suggests that the influx of short-stay properties has an upward pressure on property prices, which in turn
may impact on the availability of affordable accommodation.
Good academic research in places like Byron Bay confirms that, particularly in tourism hot spots, the arrival
of short-stay on-line platforms has resulted in significant displacement of permanent residents. This, in turn,
impacts on local community organisations through reducing volunteer numbers, and it also impacts on traffic
congestion with increasing numbers of workers having to live outside the shire and drive in for work.
There is no doubt that these issues polarise attitudes. Those who view the matter through the prism of the
local economy are most inclined to support a free market approach to short-stay. Those who are inclined to
view the problem through a social lens are more likely to focus on the negative impacts. Any proposed
restrictions on short-stay are viewed by some people as having a serious negative impact on the local
economy by hampering development of local tourism.
Responses:
Noosa Council has taken the state lead in seeking answers to issues raised by the escalation of the short-stay
letting market. Council has taken the matter to, and received endorsement from, the Local Government
Association of Queensland. In response to this effort, the Qld Minister for Tourism established a stakeholder
reference group to consider the issues. Noosa Council was one of only two local governments represented
on that reference group. The group last met in June 2018 and the issues have been stalled from proceeding
at a State Cabinet level.
Meanwhile, the draft Noosa Plan has considered a variety of ways to deal with the land use issues arising
from short-stay properties. These have received considerable focus in submissions to two drafts of the
scheme. Council has also flagged a suggested local law to help manage impacts of short-stay properties. The
draft local law has been written in consultation with a number of property management agents.
These measures have been well documented and information sheets are available from Council.
Tourism Noosa engaged a consultant to develop a submission to the draft planning scheme on their behalf. It
should be acknowledged that there are strongly held views within our community on this issue with some
vehemently opposed to the approach by Council and others vehemently supportive.
What Next?
Noosa Council will seek to have its new planning scheme gazetted. Noosa Council will also continue to refine
its proposed local law on short-stay properties in consultation with stakeholders and the public with a view
to it being adopted in 2020.
Noosa Council will continue to liaise with other local government areas across the nation, as well as the
Local Government Association of Qld and the Queensland Government on the issue of short-stay
accommodation.




                                                                                                10 | P a g e

Section 11

4. Transport and Traffic Congestion




A major focus of both the STSRG and also resident concerns is the increase of traffic congestion, most
particularly on Noosa Drive and Noosa Parade during peak holiday seasons.
Traffic congestion is a symptom of increased visitation. However, it is also not a new problem, as the
newspaper clipping below from 1995 demonstrates.




                                                                                                11 | P a g e

Section 12

There are a number of issues relating to Noosa’s transport problem that need to be considered. The first is,
again, one of perception. Often residents are inclined to make sweeping statements such as, “You can’t drive
into Hastings Street/Main Beach anymore.” In fact, traffic tends to back up on Noosa Drive and Noosa Parade
during daylight hours in peak holiday seasons, also on an increasing number of weekends and when events
occur. The rest of the time there is arguably no significant congestion on these roads.
It is worth noting that, in spite of some residents believing that they can’t get into Hastings Street during peak
season, Council surveys have revealed that in peak summer holidays, between 30% and 37% of the people in
Hastings Street hail from within the Noosa Shire. In other words, a third of people in the precinct, even at the
busiest times, are locals.
There is also a belief that congestion should be a relatively easy problem to fix, with a straight-forward solution.
Three years of research and the advice of many expert consultants has revealed that this is far from the truth.
Making more car parking does not reduce congestion. Indeed, more parking only encourages more drivers to
assume they will find a car space and thus they are encouraged to take their cars into centres. As has been
found across the world, increasing car spaces only results in more congestion. To put that another way, the
more you encourage people to drive their cars, the more they will do so, and thus the more traffic ends up on
the road.
Research over peak holiday seasons has revealed that, although there are times when the parking spaces in the
Main Beach precinct are full, even on the busiest days there is still some parking capacity at Noosa Junction. At
no time is all the parking at Noosa Junction in use.
Most interesting has been the lack of impact on congestion arising from transport solutions that encourage
more people to use alternative transport. For example, during the summer holidays in 2019-20, regarding travel
into Main Beach, bus use increased by 41%, bicycle use by 27%, pedestrian traffic by 7%, yet the impact on
traffic congestion was negligible. All of that success getting people to use alternative transport only decreased
vehicle congestion by 2%. In other words, encouraging more people to use active or public transport simply
increased the number of people in the precinct without having any substantial impact on reducing car
congestion.
There is a theory that congestion is itself self-levelling. Drivers will accommodate congestion up until the
frustration outweighs the rewards. Thus congestion by itself is something of a deterrent to driving. The corollary
is that, where congestion is effectively decreased, the newly created capacity may simply be taken up by other
drivers until such time as the intolerance for congestion is again reached. To put that another way, creating
more capacity on the road may simply encourage more drivers to fill that capacity.
Without some actual limit on vehicles entering a precinct, congestion may not be able to be resolved simply by
encouraging alternative transport use.
The concept of paid parking has also been considered by both Council and the STSRG. Expert advice to Council
has revealed that paid parking does not act as a deterrent to drivers. Rather, drivers factor the cost of parking
into their trip. According to expert advice, nowhere in Australia has paid parking reduced congestion. However,
what paid parking can do is raise revenue to be applied to other transport solutions. If paid parking were to be
introduced in the Main Beach/Hastings St precinct, consideration could be given to making it free or at a
discounted rate for residents.
Transport solutions are inevitably going to include better public transport. Presentations to the STSRG have
explained that public transport in Noosa remains the province of the State Government via Translink. Legal
advice to Council has identified that Council cannot introduce any public transport that competes with, or takes
business away from, the existing State controlled transport services. Not only can’t Council introduce a service
that uses existing routes, but Council also can’t introduce a service that uses public infrastructure such as bus
stops.
Use of the river for mass transport has been considered but is impeded by a number of issues. Firstly, the main
wharf terminals at Tewantin Marina and at Hastings Street are not public, but rather private wharfs.
Furthermore, there is very limited capacity for parking at Tewantin, let alone other possible stops along the
route. Cost of implementing a river service is also considered to be prohibitive.

                                                                                                  12 | P a g e

Section 13

Also, Council can’t ethically introduce a service that has negative impacts on an existing commercial operation,
such as the current privately-owned ferry service.
Transport will remain a focus of Council, Tourism Noosa and the STSRG because it is a touch-stone matter,
particularly for residents with concerns about tourism and its impacts. More work needs to be done in this
area.
Noosa Council recognises that its transport initiatives have not kept pace with public expectations nor the
desires of many on the STSRG. The need to gather data, to run trials and to negotiate with Translink have
certainly slowed progress. Council must use ratepayer funds judiciously, and that means ground-truthing
the outcomes of transport initiatives rather than operating on assumptions. Nevertheless, Council has
apologised to the STSRG for not keeping pace with expectations in this area.
Responses:
The Noosa Council’s Transport Strategy was endorsed following significant community consultation. It is
supported by a Transport Policy.
A Transport Strategy Steering Group (now including some members of the STSRG) has also been
established to provide advice to Council on implementing the Strategy.
A wide range of actions have been undertaken including: working with Translink, most particularly on their
Network Review; working with the Dept of Transport & Main Roads; engagement of a range of expert
consultants; detailed research on parking and congestion during different times of year; and a series of
trials of transport initiatives.
An enormous amount of data and information has been accrued by Council’s transport staff.
Any effective transport solutions will require multiple actions, not a single action. Most likely this will
include proverbial “carrots and sticks” – in other words, both incentives and disincentives.
Some of the solutions that have been implemented so far include:
  Expanded free bus service during peak holiday periods
  A Noosa travel app with information and real-time parking details
  Improved way-finding signage
  Traffic controllers to ease traffic flow at key pinch-points
  Electronic signage beside feeder roads
  Engagement of behaviour change experts
  Work with local schools to encourage a walk-and-ride-to-school program
  New free loop bus service for Christmas 2019 and Easter 2020 including parking for 400 vehicles at AFL
   Grounds
  Investigation of electric bus technology
  Investigation of automated bus technology
  Support for the State’s e-vehicle superhighway
  Support for programs encouraging bicycle use
  Support for ZEN Inc’s Electric Vehicle Fairs
  Pathway and cycleway network review

Within the draft planning scheme, Noosa Council has identified land at the Shire Business Centre as a
potential transport hub – to capture vehicles travelling into Noosa via the Sunshine Motorway and to then
transition drivers and passengers to public transport before they end up in key precincts.
Noosa Council has made it clear to Translink and others that Council’s ideal is for a bus service serving the
internal network, utilising appropriately-sized electric buses, clearly identified in Noosa livery, and with a
localised depot.




                                                                                                    13 | P a g e

Section 14

What Next?
Noosa Council will continue to roll out and investigate transport options. The STSRG and the Transport
Strategy Steering Group will provide ideas and recommendations.
Noosa Council will continue to work with Translink and DTMR on transport solutions with a forward focus.
In particular, technological advances will be woven into solutions.
Further work and community consultation needs to occur on the matter of paid parking.
Council needs to expedite new technology solutions including the shift to electric and/or hydrogen vehicles.
More analysis needs to be undertaken on the feasibility of restricting vehicle access, either through a
congestion tax or some other limiting mechanism that reduces the numbers of vehicles entering key
precincts.

5. Environmental Impacts




The environmental impact of tourism has probably received the least consideration by the STSRG.
There is certainly a perception amongst residents that tourists contribute to increased pollution, noise
amenity, litter etc. Indeed, a survey funded by Council and TN (see attachment), found that three-quarters
of those surveyed believed tourism contributed to increased pollution and noise. There is also an
acknowledgement that tourists contribute to greenhouse gases, most particularly as a result of transport
modes to visit Noosa.
More direct impacts include loss of biodiversity and other human impacts at popular sites such as the
headland section of the Noosa National Park. The tidal fairy pools near Granite Bay used to house many sea
creatures including soft coral, but thanks to recent popularity are now largely devoid of life.
And, of course, the Noosa River also feels the impacts of tourism as the busiest waterway in SEQ.
News and social media reporting have also focussed at times on the impacts of 4-wheel drive vehicles on
Teewah Beach and particularly the frontal dunes.

                                                                                                14 | P a g e

Section 15

Zero Emissions Noosa Inc have also noted that the tourism sector has the poorest uptake of solar
compared with other business sectors and also residential uptake. Whilst the uptake of solar rooftop power
generation is approximately 35% of residential dwellings, only 2-3% of tourism accommodation and
premises have solar power. The STSRG has been challenged by Zero Emissions Noosa to achieve world’s
best practice in terms of emissions and there is a large amount of work to be done to achieve that.
As a general rule, the STSRG agrees that the cost of reducing carbon emissions for the tourism sector
should be borne by that sector and not by Noosa residents.




Responses:
Tourism Noosa now employ a dedicated Sustainability Officer. They have also introduced a series of
programs that will both improve environmental outcomes and simultaneously raise Noosa’s standing as a
centre for sustainable practices. Actions by TN including Trees for Tourism, Refresh Noosa, and a new focus
on an eco-accreditation system are all aimed at a win-win outcome. TN also supports Plastic Free Noosa
and other environment initiatives.
Zero Emissions Noosa’s many-pronged approach to achieving zero net emissions also takes in consideration
the tourism sector.
Noosa Council’s zero emissions initiative, support for Plastic Free Noosa, Declaration of Climate Emergency,
work with Cities Power Partnership etc. are part of a suite of actions aimed at improving local
environmental outcomes. So too are actions such as the 2,400 hectare Yurol/Ringtail land deal that will see
plantation land rehabilitated and converted into national park – the largest local environmental project in
nearly 20 years. Other work by Council includes a range of policies and strategies, plus a new
Environmental Grant scheme, a new Noosa River Plan, work with The Nature Conservancy on permanent
oyster reefs in the river, and support for koala conservation to name but a few activities.
Meanwhile, Noosa Council has established the Teewah & Cooloola Working Group along with stakeholders
from Gympie Council area. The TCWG has already had success encouraging both QPWS and Qld Police to
take action on 4-wheel drivers accessing the dunes and other problematic behaviours.


                                                                                               15 | P a g e

Section 16

What Next?
Tourism Noosa will continue to investigate an Eco-accreditation system for its members. Having such
accreditation may eventually become a precondition of TN membership.
Tourism Noosa will continue to expand upon and roll out sustainability measures to ensure that Noosa
remains a leader of sustainability in the tourism sector.
Noosa Council will continue to support projects and actions that improve the shire’s biodiversity.
TN, Council and Zero Emissions Noosa Inc plus others need to coalesce on a major study that identifies the
actual carbon footprint of visitors to our Shire. That footprint cannot be alleviated and offset without such
data.

6. Day Visitors
Day visitors have come under specific scrutiny by the STSRG.
Data on the year ended 2019 notes that there were 1.164 million overnight visitors and 1.3 million day
visitors to Noosa. These were up by 8% and 17% respectively. In terms of spend, overnight visitors spent
$996.8 million and day visitors spent $98 million. These were up by 18% and down by -6% respectively.
Meanwhile, the SEQ Regional Plan anticipates another 200,000 people on the Sunshine Coast by 2041 and
another 2 million people in SEQ. The implications are that Noosa is likely to experience increasing numbers
of day visitors arising from this population growth on our doorstep.
In turn, increasing numbers of day visitors will likely generate more transport problems, including increased
traffic congestion, as well as increased numbers of people in key precincts, particularly the Main Beach
area. This, in turn, may impact on the overall visitor experience.
It will always be the case that some visitors to Noosa will want to drive in for the day and drive out again.
The question arises as to whether measures could or should be put in place to manage or even limit those
day trippers, for the sake of both resident and visitor amenity. Even if that is a desired goal, the second part
of that equation is whether that is possible and if so, how. Plainly, it is also important to take into account
the economic impact of any such measures. However, as long as visitor numbers keep growing, so too will
businesses capitalising on those increases. It will always be difficult to limit visitor numbers where such
limits negatively impact on existing businesses. Given this truism, it is arguably better to implement
measures to control numbers before those numbers reach an unacceptable level.
Discussions within the STSRG have centred around consideration of a congestion tax, utilising new
technology including vehicle recognition to place limits on vehicle access, and analysis of alternative
transport solutions.
Responses:
Tourism Noosa takes a “value over volume” approach to its marketing strategy. All of its marketing is aimed
at interstate or international visitors to Noosa, and no marketing is pitched at day visitors. This approach
recognises that overnight visitors offer a better return for the advertising dollar and are the key component
of Noosa’s tourism strategy.
Noosa Council has been looking into a range of new technologies in relation to transport initiatives.
Noosa Parks Association is doing their own research on visitors (see more under Acceptable Limits).
What Next?
Consideration will be given to transport initiatives to help manage day visitor numbers.
It may be that both Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council need to do more qualitative and quantitative
research into day visitor numbers and the impacts of day visitors?




                                                                                                  16 | P a g e

Section 17

7. Dispersing Tourism




One of the strategies identified internationally to deal with increasing tourism has been attempts to
disperse tourists away from key precincts and thus to spread both the impact and financial benefits further
afield.
There are plainly opportunities to encourage more tourism in the Noosa hinterland. Certainly there are
currently very limited accommodation offerings in the hinterland.
Teewah Beach and Cooloola are arguably already suffering from too many vehicles and/or campers.
Within its planning and other strategies, Council must consider the impact of tourism on precincts,
including places like Peregian Beach, Noosa Junction, Noosaville foreshore etc. This goes to a range of
planning decisions regarding zonings etc.
Although there has been a historical argument from some key locales, such as Cooroy, to increase visitor
numbers in order to benefit local businesses, we are already beginning to see some push-back from
residents who don’t want increased numbers of people, and especially vehicles, in their home town. This
conflict has played out most recently in responses to the Council’s planned Nature Adventure Park in
Cooroy.
Responses:
Noosa Council has upgraded and sealed Dr Pages Road and part of Kinmond Creek Rd to facilitate a loop
road through the hinterland.
Tourism Noosa has established the Noosa Country Drive which is promoted via a map and through their
website etc.
Council and Tourism Noosa have funded a Noosa Trail Master Plan to determine what improvements may
need to be made to that facility.
The state planning instruments encourage eco-tourism opportunities, particularly in rural areas.
What Next?
Certainly there is opportunity to generate tourism offerings in areas removed from the key precincts.
However, resident amenity and expectations will need to be carefully managed. Some residents prefer

                                                                                               17 | P a g e

Section 18

their villages to remain localised and even “sleepy” rather than invigorated with tourists.
The new planning scheme identifies opportunities for more tourism business in the rural areas, and it will
be interesting to see if those opportunities are taken up.
There is an opportunity to increase offerings for physically active tourists, particularly bicycle riders, with
better promotion of facilities such as the Noosa Trail Network or existing bike trails in the Tewantin NP.

8. Acceptable Limits




A real key to the discussions underway at STSRG meetings are two issues: resident amenity and visitor
experience.
Consideration has been given to an acceptable limits study to determine what the ideal carrying capacity
should be for various precincts, most urgently the Main Beach/Hastings Street precinct. Establishing an
acceptable limit for, say, Hastings Street, would require significant work, and arguably be a subjective
rather than objective result. However, perceptions are very important when considering limits on numbers.
What is very clear from other places on the planet is that overcrowding, or “overtourism”, is not in itself an
impediment or deterrent to visitors. Rather, as places become more crowded, different types of visitors
start to arrive. Research from places like Barcelona or Venice suggest that the transformation to
overcrowding results in alienation of residents and continuing arrival of mass tourists that individually
spend less. (Is the overall increase of day visitors and overall decrease in day visitor spend during the year
2019 indicating that Noosa is already on this trajectory?)
Noosa must be watchful that, using the old boiling frog analogy, it doesn’t find itself with more crowding
and commensurate loss of resident amenity and also reduction in tourist spend in the future.
If there is one single element that binds every member of the STSRG, it is an agreement that:
                          What is good for the resident is also good for the tourist.
                       A place that is great to live is also a place that is great to visit.
                                                                                                    18 | P a g e

Section 19

Tourism has to be balanced against the lifestyle of residents as well as a functioning economy and a
sustainable environment.
Some disagreement amongst the STSRG can be found regarding the use of the term “overtourism”. Certain
representatives, primarily from the resident and environment groups, believe this term is useful and indeed
that some degree of overtourism has already been reached in Noosa. Meanwhile, business group
representatives wish to retreat from use of the word arguing that we are not yet approaching a state of
overtourism, and certainly not by international standards. There is concern from the business sector that
such a term will (and has been) taken out of context by the media and that it will thus have a negative
impact on our Noosa brand.
A local newspaper article from 15 January 2019 noted that, “Noosa’s Main Beach has been busier than the
Gold Coast over the peak holidays as the latest tourism figures show a strong growth in visitor spend.
Lifesaving figures for the recent new year long weekend break saw 16,176 swimmers hit Noosa Main Beach
compared to the Gold Coast’s busiest of 12,843 at Paradise Point.”
Plainly acceptable limits are going to be very different during peak holiday times as compared with non-
holiday season. Furthermore, even if Noosa establishes an “acceptable limit” for, say, Noosa Main Beach,
what mechanisms could be put in place to adhere to that idealised limit?
Acceptable limits are much easier to achieve where the access is restricted. Thus places like national parks
or, say, Cinque Terre where there is one just one road and one rail line in and out. More porous places may
struggle to find ways to regulate people numbers? For Noosa, a further issue occurs where our most
popular precinct demands access from surfers with their boards.
To some extent the issue of acceptable limits will be different depending on what lens it is viewed through.
Businesses in Hastings Street may not appreciate consideration of limiting visiting numbers, whereas beach
users who have difficulty finding a space to put a beach towel may have a different viewpoint. Again there
is something of a dichotomy depending on whether the perspective is personal amenity or economic
rewards.
Already Council is seeing some division within the community over this argument about resident needs
versus economic desires. This is most clearly expressed in the Little Cove area, where there is a schism
occurring between residents who have chosen the precinct as a place to live and those who operate tourist
accommodation in Little Cove. For example, Council received two separate petitions from property owners
in the area, one supporting short-stay provisions and one opposing the same short-stay provisions.
One of the pieces of information that we are lacking is a clear understanding of the actual bed capacity for
visitors to Noosa Shire. Council has begun some work to answer that question.
Responses:
In association with the University of Georgia, Noosa Parks Association has begun to carry out their own
Pilot Survey to Identify Acceptable Visitor Capacities in Noosa. The objectives of this study are:
1.   To assess the current (baseline) tourism perceptions of crowding by Visitor Group (residents,
     overnighters and day trippers) for selected (tourism hotspot) locations in Noosa.
2.   To identify a range of acceptable visitor capacities by Visitor Group for selected (tourism hotspot)
     locations in Noosa.
3.   To shape the methodology for a longer-term, broader assessment of visitor capacities in Noosa.
Suggestions have been made that Noosa Council should carry out acceptable limits research, not just for
Main Beach, but also other precincts. At this point, Council has not determined that such research would
have value. Plainly Council looks forward to the results of the NPA pilot survey.
Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council have jointly funded a Value of Tourism research project. The document
arising from that research is attached to this report.
What Next?
The STSRG will need to determine whether an acceptable limit study is useful. If such work should be done,
who should perform the work and how? Meanwhile, NPA’s own study may prove an interesting
counterpoint to the Values of Tourism Study attached to this report?

                                                                                                 19 | P a g e

Section 20

Overall Conclusion
The STSRG has made efforts to produce a written statement or accord that can be signed off by all
participants. This has ultimately proven to be somewhat difficult. There are participants who insist that
such a document will lack real purpose unless it also includes a series of specific actions in some sort of
Action Plan. The other stumbling block to date has been disagreement about the use of specific words to
describe Noosa’s current or future tourism threats.
As noted in the introduction, there is strong consensus from all participants that Noosa’s greatest threat is
likely to come from increasing day visitors - a direct result of a rapidly growing population on Noosa’s
doorstep. Whilst acknowledging there will always be a drive-in cohort, and that such visitors provide
considerable fillip to Noosa’s economy, it is also widely agreed that larger numbers of day visitors will put
considerable stress on Noosa’s road network, public spaces and infrastructure, whilst also further
potentially alienating residents from specific parts of their shire.
Whilst Noosa may not yet be experiencing the sort of impacts that other tourist hot spots around the
planet are facing, it behoves us to look towards the future and plan for that future. Tourists are growing in
number, both globally and nationally. Both the Council and the community would be remiss if we did not
prepare for the changes that are on the horizon. These changes include climate change, new modes of
transport, alternative power sources, shifting public sensibilities and the very real likelihood of increasing
tourist numbers.
In the end, this is all about managing Noosa’s success – and that is a great problem to have.
Where many shires around the country are trying to encourage more tourism to keep their economies
alive, Noosa is in the enviable position of considering how to manage the tourists that we already have as
well as those which are likely to come in the future.
Arguably, this is the first time in Noosa’s history that so many key community organisations have rallied
together to cooperatively work on designing Noosa’s future. Is there a more important task for any of us?
It is a credit to every one of the participating organisations that they have stayed the course and
maintained their focus on the issues at hand.


Recommendation
     That Council note the report on the deliberations of the Sustainable Tourism
      Stakeholder Reference Group to date.
     That Council and Tourism Noosa continue to engage with and work with the
      Sustainable Tourism Stakeholder Reference Group.




                                                                                                 20 | P a g e