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

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?

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