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

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

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