DESTINATION STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE · Report

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                        6 OCTOBER 2026



REPORT
1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

1.1 Background

In December 2025, Noosa Council endorsed the Noosa Destination Management Plan (DMP), a 10-
year roadmap centred on community wellbeing. The DMP seeks to ensure tourism enhances and
protects Noosa’s environment, lifestyle and values while supporting a prosperous and resilient
economy.

The DMP identifies priorities and actions to build a sustainable visitor economy and proactively
respond to key challenges associated with Noosa’s growing popularity, including population growth,
increasing visitation, evolving travel behaviours, and the impacts of climate change on the
destination.
This is done so under four priority Guiding Principles:

1.   Respecting the Community
2.   Leading the Way
3.   Living our Values
4.   Tourism for Good


1.2 Establishment of Destination Stewardship Council key action of DMP

The establishment of a Destination Stewardship Council (DSC) is identified in the Noosa Destination
Management Plan (DMP) as a priority action under Guiding Principle 2: Leading the Way.

Council endorsed the establishment of the DSC as a priority action to provide a dedicated leadership,
oversight and accountability mechanism for the delivery of the DMP's priority actions and outcomes.
The DSC is intended to help ensure that the DMP moves beyond strategy into implementation,
maintaining focus on progress, fostering shared ownership of outcomes, and supporting coordinated
action across the government, organisations and sectors required to achieve the Plan's objectives.

The DSC is intended to serve as a key stewardship body to provide strategic leadership, oversight
and advice for implementation of the DMP. The DSC is intended to have a key role in monitoring
progress and performance, identifying and addressing barriers to delivery and helping maintain focus
on achieving agreed destination outcomes.

Recognising that some DMP actions extend beyond Council's direct jurisdiction, authority or
resources, the DSC also leverages the collective leadership, expertise, influence and networks of its
members to mobilise partners, align effort and advance priority actions across government, business
and industry, environmental, community organisations and the community.

This report presents a Draft Terms of Reference, together with the proposed membership framework
and establishment process, for Council's consideration.