DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN - PHASE 2 ENGAGEMENT · Report

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SPECIAL MEETING                                                                    4 AUGUST 2025



RECOMMENDATION
That Council
A. Note the report by the Manager Economic Development and Destination Management to the
   Special Meeting dated 4 August 2025 regarding the Destination Management Plan;
B. Approve the Draft Destination Management Plan provided at Attachment 1 for the purposes of
   community engagement for a six-week period between 5 August and 12 September 2025.
C. Note the community engagement plan provided at Attachment 2 to this report, outlining the range
   of activities and approaches to enable broad community awareness and feedback on the Draft
   Destination Management Plan.
D. Delegate the CEO to make minor changes or amendments as required to the Draft Destination
   Management Plan prior to community engagement process commencing.


REPORT
Background

Phase 1 Community Engagement on the DMP Discussion Paper was conducted over six weeks
throughout October and November 2023. The process generated a statistically valid 1,000+ unique
responses from the community.

A preliminary summary of the feedback was presented to Council at the Ordinary Meeting held on
Thursday, 14 December 2023.

Since then, further rigorous analysis has occurred, including a process to align the findings against
Council’s plans and strategies. This process helped determine which issues and actions were
already being addressed or identified in Council plans/strategies and those that were new. From this,
a values-based and “Four Guiding Principles Approach” has been developed which guide the Draft
DMP actions and outcomes.

The Draft DMP outlines a suite of actions under each of the 4 principles. Whilst some examples of
measures of success are identified we will be seeking feedback from the community on what they
think success looks like. This will inform the development of a comprehensive Monitoring and
Evaluation framework as part of the final DMP.

The Draft DMP has been developed in response to feedback received during Phase 1 of the DMP
process, through a number of Councillor workshops, conversations with the Project Control Group
and External Reference Group and feedback our community have provided over several years
through previous community engagements like, the Liveability survey, Corporate Plan and various
plans and strategies.

This report seeks Council endorsement of the Draft Destination Management Plan to be approved
for release to the community for their opinion and feedback.

What is a DMP and Why do we need one?

A DMP aims to guide the way a destination manages tourism, balancing the needs of the local
community, the environment, the economy and visitors.

Unlike more traditional DMP’s focused on growth and managing tourism as the priority, Noosa’s
Draft DMP seeks to take a community first approach.

This draft DMP is a community-led document, shaped by what matters most to the people of Noosa

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based on what we heard in Phase 1 consultation. It acknowledges the importance of tourism to
Noosa but it’s not about simply attracting more visitors.

Tourism is a big part of Noosa’s identity and economy, but the community has told us that it needs
to be managed carefully to protect what makes Noosa special.

The Noosa Draft DMP therefore is an action focused approach to help us:
   •   Protect and enhance our natural environment so future generations can enjoy it too.
   •   Make sure tourism benefits locals, not just visitors—by improving public spaces,
       supporting local businesses, and easing pressure on infrastructure and managing sensitive
       areas.
   •   Preserve Noosa’s character and protect our lifestyle, even as we welcome guests.
   •   Plan for the future, so we’re not just reacting to challenges, but shaping how tourism
       contributes to our community.

Phase 1 Review of feedback from Community Engagement
Phase 1 of our Community Engagement was exploratory, inviting the Noosa community to identify
issues of importance regarding tourism and destination management and indicate the level of
response or change they wanted to see in addressing these issues. This feedback has helped shape
the foundation of the Draft Destination Management Plan (DMP).

Since Phase 1 Community Engagement on the Discussion Paper, officers undertook the following
comprehensive steps to inform the Draft DMP:

1. A comprehensive analysis of Phase 1 community feedback

2. Review and alignment of proposed Actions & Solutions against existing Council Plans
   and Strategies
       o   70% actions/solutions were already under way, identified in existing plans.
       o   30% actions/solutions had not been commenced or were new ideas.

3. Identified the ‘Things that Matter Most’ from the data to the community in terms of managing
   the destination, the top issues were as follows:
       o   Ensure Tourism alignment with Noosa’s values
       o   Tackle Congestion especially traffic congestion in high demand areas at peak times
       o   Review Local Tourism Model (Tourism Noosa) Structure and Funding (including events)
       o   Protect Noosa’s neighbourhoods from STA
       o   Ensure Tourism contributes in ways that positively impact community

4. Refined ‘What Matters Most’ into a 4 Principles Approach, complete with Actions and
   Tasks. These principles are:
       o   Respecting Community
       o   Living our Values
       o   Leading the Way
       o   Tourism for Good

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5. Tested the Principle Approach with the DMP Project Control Group and External Reference
   Group, who, with some feedback and changes which have been incorporated, supported the
   approach.




One of the DMP Project Control Group Members, who is a global leader in sustainable management,
provided this recent feedback:

"These are not easy documents to put together. There are few destinations globally that have been
able to demonstrate such a strategic and focused commitment to both protecting the natural
environment and preserving the unique community lifestyle of the region. EarthCheck has just
benchmarked and certified Copenhagen and they have been on this journey for over thirty years.
Noosa continues to set a benchmark in sustainable destination stewardship in Australia. This plan
reflects a clear and deliberate effort to try to balance the needs of residents, visitors, and the wider
natural and cultural environment.

The planning process represents one of the most comprehensive and well-executed planning studies
my company have had the privilege to be involved with. The depth and breadth of the consultation
process have been exceptional, engaging a wide cross-section of the community and stakeholders
to help foster a collaborative and inclusive approach. I think we all appreciate that this will need to
be an ongoing process. The key issue is that you have established a baseline to help measure and
track community sentiment.

Further strengthening the plan is the extensive research that underpins it. The principles-led
methodology adopted throughout offers a framework that is both pragmatic and forward-thinking. It
successfully integrates strategic insight with practical application, ensuring that the outcomes are
not only visionary in ambition but have some key action areas.”

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SPECIAL MEETING                                                                         4 AUGUST 2025


Phase 2 Community Engagement on Draft DMP

Based on community feedback, a draft Destination Management Plan has been developed, and a
further phase of community engagement is now proposed to ensure the draft DMP reflects
community feedback.

Phase 2 is on the Draft DMP is specifically seeking community to provide targeted feedback on the
Draft Plan itself, specifically confirming whether it reflects their input from Phase 1, and if not, what
may have been missed. It will also provide an opportunity for those who have not yet engaged to
have their say too.

To do this we will be asking the following questions:
   •   Have we heard you correctly?
   •   Have we represented your feedback in the DMP?
   •   Are our actions what you expected in a DMP?
   •   Are there actions missing?
   •   Does the DMP make sense to you and address the issues that matter?
   •   What does success look like?
Significant design and effort is going into ensuring a broad and inclusive cross-section of the
community are aware of the opportunity to have their say on the Draft DMP, with a particular focus
on contacting and engaging the voice of typically underrepresented groups, especially young adults
aged 18 to 30 and families who do not traditionally participate in surveys or workshops.

Phase 2 Community Engagement is scheduled to take place from 5 August until 14 September
2025.

A comprehensive strategic communications campaign has been developed to re-engage the whole
community and to target previously underrepresented groups.

The campaign will focus on raising awareness and interest in the DMP process through a range of
approaches – including video, social media, radio, newspaper, information sessions, coffee chats,
newsletters, FAQs, website updates, posters and postcards to every letter box in the Shire.

During Phase 2 engagement the community will be invited to complete a Your Say survey or make
a submission on the Draft DMP. The survey will be supported by fact sheets and a selection of global
best-practice and cases study examples to illustrate how other leading destinations are managing
their destinations, responding to their tourism challenges and advancing towards regenerative
tourism.

The Your Say survey will be underpinned by a series of community and stakeholder Information
Sessions held at different times of the day to enable broad participation, coffee chats and stakeholder
presentations across the Shire.

In addition, an interactive digital platform will be available for the community to explore the principles,
actions, measures of success and potential opportunities and implications of some of the actions.
This platform provides an opportunity to engage in the Draft DMP for those who do not wish to read
the longer form Draft DMP document.

These activities aim to inform and build awareness of the Draft DMP, to encourage people to provide
feedback through the survey or a submission. This information and feedback will then be used to
develop the final DMP by the end of 2025 for Council consideration.

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SPECIAL MEETING                                                                         4 AUGUST 2025


Phase 2 Community Engagement timeframe and next steps

Proposed Information Sessions




A series of stakeholder meetings are also planned to be undertaken throughout the engagement
period, with key stakeholder groups including but not limited to: Tourism Noosa, Chambers and
Business Groups, Environment and Community Groups, Schools, Business Round table.

Community Panel and Survey

To facilitate greater insight into how the broader community feels (i.e. beyond people who may be
already engaged, have an existing position or who are in the most highly sampled age groups in the
Shire), Council will pilot a representative Community Panel to test the efficacy of more
demographically and statistically significant engagement methods. This will enable Council to
compare and contrast participatory feedback (collected through quantitative methods such as the
Your Say survey, which is open to anyone to participate) with Community Panel feedback (collected
through demographically and statistically representative methods). This will assist in determining
how the broader community feels about a draft DMP and provide Council with greater confidence to
make decisions on evidence-based community engagement data.

The Community Panel Pilot will use two methods to gather representative data. First, Council will
invite a randomly selected group of up to 400 people (which is a statistically significant sample,
based on the population of the community) to complete the Your Say DMP survey on a private Your
Say Project Page. This will assist in comparing and contrasting quantitative engagement feedback
from a statistically significant, demographically representative group with a quantitative data from an
open, self-selected group of community members to gather benchmark feedback on the DMP.

It is anticipated that this first method will be followed by a Deliberative Poll process, of potentially up
to 100 people, to explore more complex issues, such as tackling traffic congestion, in greater depth.
A Deliberative Poll method consists of a half day workshop with randomly selected, demographically
representative members of the community. Participants are initially “polled” to seek their feedback
and perspectives on aspects of the issue. Participants are then presented with a range of contextual
and background information that seeks to inform and advise on the challenges and opportunities
associated with the issue and some proposed solutions. As this information will include Council's

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SPECIAL MEETING                                                                    4 AUGUST 2025


perspectives on the matter, discussion is encouraged following this to elicit community feedback and
answer any questions that may be of specific concern or interest to the community. Participants are
polled again at the end of the session with the same questions to see what, if anything, changes.

The Deliberative Poll method can provide valuable insights into what matters most to the community
in a cost-effective and efficient way for Council that can be managed inhouse. These insights can
not only help to inform what a representative group of the community think about a complex matter,
it also assists in informing potential ways Council can approach building awareness with the broader
community and focusing Council priorities and funding where it is most needed. This will assist in
refining the draft DMP and informing a considered approach to implementation. Further, the
community engagement insights gathered can inform other Council projects aligned to DMP
objectives.

Link to Corporate Plan

Theme No. 4 - Future
This theme is focused on our future, strengthening our relationship with First Nations peoples and to
ensure our community is prepared and resilient to change. A focus on youth, climate resilience and
adaptation, sense of place and destination management.
Section 4.2 Deliver and implement the Destination Management Plan.


Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting Minutes 14 December 2023, Item 9.1
That Council note the report by the Manager, Economic Development and Destination Management
to the Ordinary Meeting dated 14 December 2023 regarding the process to develop a Noosa Shire
Destination Management Plan (DMP) and:
A. Note the summary of consultation key themes and feedback received during the recent community
engagement process on the DMP Discussion Paper;
B. Note the proposed next steps as detailed in this report for officers to undertake a deep analysis
of the data and feedback provided to date to inform the preparation of a draft DMP early to mid-2024;
C. Prepare and implement a communication plan to clearly inform the community of the key themes
from the community engagement to date and outline the next steps in the DMP process; and
D. Add a specific step into the process that workshops the results of the consultation on the DMP
Discussion Paper with the External Community Reference Group and the external members of the
PCG, to inform the scope of the next steps in the process of communicating back to the community
and the Draft DMP and;
E. Note the draft DMP will be prepared early in 2024 and reported back to Council for further
community engagement in mid-2024.


Finance
The development and consultation on the Draft DMP has been budgeted for as part of 25/26 budget
allocation in Economic Development. A Budget of $65,000 to complete Phase 2 engagement has
been approved in FY25/26.


Risk & Opportunities
Risks

There is a risk of community fatigue or disengagement due to the 18 month gap between Phase 1
and Phase 2 which may lead to diminished public interest, scepticism about Council’s commitment,

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SPECIAL MEETING                                                                        4 AUGUST 2025


or a perception that initial feedback was not valued. In response to this potential risk, a strong re-
engagement campaign that acknowledges the delay transparently and reaffirms the community’s
role in shaping the DMP will support the engagement process.

There is also a risk that the draft plan does not meet all of the communities expectations as the draft
plan has sought to respond to the key issues raised by community, however, is also drafted to be
action oriented and concise. As part of this next phase of engagement we will be checking in on this
with the community and asking if anything key is missing.

It is really important to get a wide variety of feedback and ensure our responses are statistically valid.
An increased focus on young people and young families will occur through tailored and targeted
messaging to these groups through social media, representative group panel (as part of the
Community Panel Pilot) and targeted engagement formats (e.g., pop-ups at family-friendly events,
youth-focused social media campaigns and incentives).

Opportunities

The comprehensive engagement strategy offers an opportunity to raise awareness and re-engage
the community, potentially reaching a broader audience than Phase 1. It is intended to leverage
global best practice examples in destination management, storytelling and visuals to support the
approach being proposed in the Draft DMP.

In addition, Digital and engaging Platforms like Genially (to showcase greater detail) and the
Deliberative Poll (as part of the Community Panel Pilot) are being trialled through this project to offer
various ways to engage, understand and provide feedback. These methods are particularly useful
for some of the more complex or detailed issues requiring consideration such as managing
congestion.




Human Rights
Human Rights Compatibility Statement
In developing this Report, the subject matter has been considered in accordance with the
requirements of the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019. It is considered that the subject matter
does not conflict with any human rights and supports a human rights approach to decision making
by Council. Council representatives will endeavour to act and make decisions under this report in a
manner that is compatible with human rights. This report should be read in conjunction with Council’s
Human Rights Policy.


Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
External Consultation
•   Project Control Group Members
•   External Reference Group Members
•   Tourism Noosa Chair and Board member
•   Tourism Noosa Chief Executive Officer and Leadership team


Internal Consultation
Departments consulted:

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SPECIAL MEETING                                                                         4 AUGUST 2025


     Office of the CEO, Mayor &             Community Services               Corporate Services
             Councillors
      Mayor & Councillors             X   Director                    X   Director
 X    Chief Executive Officer             Community Development           Financial Services
      Executive Officers                  Sport & Active Lifestyles       Fleet
 x    Community Engagement                Arts & Culture                  Revenue Services
      People & Culture                X   Community Connection            ICT
      Governance                          Customer Experience             Procurement

                                                                          Commercial Property

      Strategy & Environment              Development & Regulation        Infrastructure Services
X     Director                        X   Director                    X   Director
 X    Strategy & Sustainability       x   Development Assessment      X   Infrastructure Planning, Design
                                                                          and Delivery
 X    Economic Development        &       Local Laws                      Civil and Asset operations
      Destination Management
      Environmental Services          X   Environmental Health        X   Waste
      Innovation & Digital Hub            Building & Plumbing             Building & Facilities
                                          Property / Permits              Disaster Management