2021-06-16 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                  16 JUNE 2021


Submission Topic   Detail
                   benefits the entire Noosa community? It’s my understanding that funds in General
                   Rates can be used for general revenue and will therefore have no guarantee to be used
                   for destination promotion. How could this scenario support continued confidence in this
                   extremely important sector into the future?

                   How would Council propose to manage destination promotion activities? It’s no
                   coincidence that Noosa has consistently shown strong economic growth from the
                   tourism sector over several years (outlined in the Tourism Noosa Annual Report every
                   year, and in Activity Reports to Noosa Council), out-performing other regions, and has
                   weathered the devastating impacts of Covid-19 relatively well in comparison to most
                   tourism regions in Queensland.

                   Strong and clear planning and guidance by Tourism Noosa, engaging with a strong
                   and supportive membership, and the oranisation’s valued ties with the wider tourism
                   industry are significant and essential factors to this growth. Some fun facts to support
                   this:
                    In the 8 years to pre-Covid Dec 2019, domestic overnight visitor spend in:
                             o Noosa increased + 116% to a record $989m
                             o Queensland increased +41%
                             o On the Sunshine Coast increased +50%
                             o Sunshine Coast without Noosa spend (which is counted in the SC total)
                                 +28%.
                    In the Covid year of 2020, domestic overnight visitor spend in Noosa fell 29.7%, in
                        line with the Sunshine Coast, and stronger than results across other Queensland
                        regions and Australia:
                             o Average for Queensland regions was -32.7%
                             o Whole of Queensland -39.4%
                             o Australia fell -43.4%
                    Growth in visitor spend has been greater than growth in visitor numbers, supporting
                        Tourism Noosa’s “value over volume” approach.

                   (Source: Tourism Research Australia, National Visitor Surveys 2013-2020; Tourism
                   and Events Queensland Domestic Tourism Snapshots 2013, 2019, 2020)

                   I respectfully request that Council immediately remove this proposal from the Draft
                   Budget, and if Councillors are serious about continuing in this direction, that Council
                   begin immediate and actual “consultation” with the tourism industry and wider Noosa
                   community, answering the many questions and providing reasons and evidence as to
                   why this is now necessary.

                   Submission 55
                   I strongly object to proposed changes to the Tourism Levy, as outlined in draft Budget
                   papers, and disagree with the statement that "Tourism promotion has evolved into core
                   Council business". Tourism promotion has sat with Tourism Noosa for 20 years, an
                   organisation that professionally, transparently and strategically promotes the
                   destination, with great success. Our increasing visitor spend (reaching a record $1.2
                   billion in the months before Covid) and the recent Queensland's Top Tourism Town
                   Award (Tourism Noosa's submission) are 2 recent examples. I urge you to maintain
                   the current Tourism Levy structure and continue to fund Tourism Noosa's operations
                   well into the future.

                   Submission 56
                   I strongly object to proposed changes to the Tourism Levy, as outlined in draft Budget
                   papers, and disagree with the statement that "Tourism promotion has evolved into core
                   Council business". Tourism promotion has sat with Tourism Noosa for 20 years, an
                   organisation that professionally, transparently and strategically promotes the
                   destination, with great success. Our increasing visitor spend (reaching a record $1.2
                   billion in the months before Covid) and the recent Queensland's Top Tourism Town
                   Award (Tourism Noosa's submission) are 2 recent examples. I urge you to maintain


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