2021-07-12 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                12 JULY 2021


   8      TOURISM FUNDING AGREEMENT REVIEW PROCESS

   Author      Chief Executive Officer, Brett de Chastel
               CEO’s Office

   Index       ECM/ Subject/ Tourism

   Attachments       Nil


   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
   Nil.

   RECOMMENDATION
   That Council note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the General Committee Meeting
   dated 12 July 2021 and note that the CEO will work through a review process with Tourism
   Noosa with the intent of finalising a new Funding Agreement for consideration by Council by
   the end of 2021 noting that any new agreement will not commence until 1 July 2022.


   REPORT
   The purpose of this report is to put in place a process to review and develop a new funding
   agreement between Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa. This report will set out the background
   and history of funding agreements between the two organisations and a suggested process
   and timing for the development of a new funding agreement. The current funding agreement
   expires on 30 June 2022.

   1.     Background and History of Funding Agreements between Noosa Council and
          Tourism Noosa
   Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council entered into their first funding agreement in 2000/01,
   shortly after the establishment of Tourism Noosa. That organisation was established in 2000
   jointly by the tourism sector and Council to take the lead on marketing and promotion of the
   Noosa region and ongoing development of the Noosa brand. Council assisted in the
   establishment of the Constitution for Tourism Noosa which was based on a representation
   model.
   During the 2000’s Council and Tourism Noosa had a series of funding agreements setting out
   how the funds were to be used. Tourism Noosa acted as the Local Tourism Organisation
   (LTO) and has become recognised as one of Australia’s premier LTO’s. (The Regional
   Tourism Organisation (RTO) for the broader Sunshine Coast region is Visit Sunshine Coast
   which covers the Sunshine Coast Council, Noosa Council and Gympie Council areas.)
   During the amalgamation years, Tourism Noosa continued to operate under the Sunshine
   Coast Regional Council with funding provided via a formal agreement.
   At de-amalgamation in 2014, Noosa Council inherited a number of agreements from the
   Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC), namely:-
         A funding agreement between Council and Tourism Noosa for funding of $1,745,928 pa
          to undertake marketing and tourism promotion for the Noosa area;
         A funding agreement between Council and Sunshine Coast Destinations Limited (SCDL)
          (now called Visit Sunshine Coast) as the RTO for funding of $500,000 pa to support
          regional tourism marketing; and
         A funding agreement between Council and Ironman Australia for funding of $270,000 pa
          as sponsorship of the Noosa Triathlon.

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