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

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.




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