Adoption Of Tourism Noosa Roadmap

Frank Wilkie70:30

Yes. Welcome back, everybody. We're up to item 12.2, is the adoption of the Tourism Noosa Roadmap, and Director Rawlings, or CEO Larry.

Okay, so we're looking at the adoption 12.2, adoption of the Tourism Noosa Roadmap. This report is an outcome of the meeting of the 8th of May 2025. I'm going to take the report. As read, but I am going to draw your attention to the executive summary. In line with Council's consideration of the DMP, it is now equally important to work with our partner organisations, including our local tourism organisation, which is Tourism Noosa, industry and businesses associations. Based organisations in our community to enable delivery and success of the DMP. In officers opinion, strong aligned local tourism organisation is considered essential to the success of Noosa's shift toward regenerative tourism. This transition cannot be achieved by Council alone. Noosa's ambition goes beyond attracting visitors. It is about ensuring tourism actively contributes to the health of our environment, the wellbeing of our community, and the protection of our unique lifestyle. An aligned local tourism organisation plays in supporting Council in turning the aspirations of the Destination Management Plan into everyday practice, shaping visitor expectations, supporting local businesses, and ensuring tourism contributes positively to Noosa's community, environment, and lifestyle. I in May 2025, Council called for a collaborative Roadmap to be developed with Tourism Noosa, detailing Council's future expectations of Tourism Noosa's role, structure, future focus, and actions, and any further arrangements aligned with and informed by the final Destination Management Plan, ensuring consistency of purpose and long-term strategic alignment between Council and Tourism Noosa. For the goals of our DMP and regenerative tourism to succeed, the role of the organisation, Tourism Noosa, must evolve into one grounded in stewardship of place. This means aligning marketing, industry development products and experiences, sustainability programs and visitor engagement with what Noosa can sustainably support, reinforcing respectful behaviours and actively supporting businesses. Deliver experiences that reflect our shared values. When this alignment is clear and consistent, tourism becomes a force that protects what people love about Noosa rather than placing additional pressures on it. Tourism Noosa are a mature local tourism organisation with strong local, national and international connections and robust channels to market developed over many years. They have strong networks and have been very successful in upholding Noosa's brand as an iconic destination. Now is the time to ensure this momentum. Continues in a manner aligned to Council and community expectations and the DMP. This context, I in this context, a process of review and consideration of a range of options for a fit-for-purpose local tourism organisation has occurred through the development of a Roadmap. This provides Council with a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for the future of tourism delivery in Noosa. Developed collaboratively by Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa and informed by independent benchmarking, global best practice, the Roadmap is intended to respond to community expectations for change, the necessity to involve evolve. How we manage and market our destination, while ensuring tourism supports economic value, while protecting and prioritising Noosa's unique environment and lifestyle. So the Roadmap assessed a range of eight options. Considering role, structure and service delivery model for in alignment and with the Destination Management Plan. The Roadmap process was rigorous a review of Tourism Noosa's current operating models, strengths and challenges. Benchmarking against destinations globally, highlighting success factors such as cultural change, partnership based governance and sustainable funding mechanisms. An assessment of eight service delivery options against governance, financial sustainability, strategic alignment and risk and there were a number of workshops that were carried out during this process. The eight options for future delivery of tourism, destination management functions are, I won't go through them in detail, summarised below as one, status quo, two, evolve the LTO, Tourism Noosa, to deliver the DMP, three, scale back LTO collaborative model, four, shared services model, five, Council in-house delivery, six, outsourced brand management, seven, partnership with Regional Tourism Organisations, RTOs, which in this case is Visit Sunshine Coast. Is Visit Sunshine Coast, and eight, establish a new entity. Council's newly adopted DMP provides clear direction and roles for the local tourism organisation. These are summarised in this document as lead, regenerative, destination marketing and storytelling, support industry development and capability. Deliver visitor and community behaviour, change initiatives, align events, experiences and partnerships, support funding alignment and diversification, operate within strong destination governance. Considering the requirements of the DMP, the eight service delivery model options were evaluated as part of the Roadmap development process, ranging from maintaining the status quo to structural reform through a new entity. Option two, evolve Tourism Noosa to align with the DMP, emerged as the preferred immediate approach, scoring highest for strategic alignment to the requirements of the DMP and lowest this option maintains continuity of core services while embedding cultural change, evolving KPIs and improving governance. An alternative medium term option involving a phased pathway combines option two with shared service efficiencies option four and the potential structural reform option eight if new funding mechanisms are secured in the future. The recommended option includes core and aligned services to the DMP such as destination marketing, international trade, visitor servicing, industry development and strengthening sustainability while balancing continuity with managed evolution ensuring transparency, efficiency and alignment with the Destination Management Plan. The recommended option also recommends changes to aspects of current service delivery that reflects an estimated 40% absorption of identified DMP actions within TNs to Noosa's existing core activity, demonstrating some capacity and agility with TN to adapt and make these adjustments within current funding and resources. The also option includes commitment from TN to increase other non-Council funding streams, separate to the visitor pay options being explored by Council over the same period, prepare a transition plan map mapping the evolution of the organisation's structure and strategic focus in for the new financial year 2627 and undertake a review to make an organisation name change for example destination Noosa a title aligning seamlessly with the Noosa Destination Management Plan and perceived as more inclusive of the wider community whilst maintaining its relevance with the tourism sector locally, nationally and internationally. The change such as this signifies a new era alongside Council's new strategic direction for the destination as articulated in the DMP, option 2 a preferred model. Option shift 2 is based stewardship. On core annual funding of $2 million plus CPI. The report recommends Council endorse option 2 as a preferred model. Option 2 is based on core annual funding of $2 million plus CPI. This option reinforces the importance of an involved approach and model for the delivery of destination marketing, industry development, sustainability programs and visitor services for Noosa and that an involved Tourism Noosa is a these as a partner with Council in line with the Destination Management Plan. The recommendation as it stands is note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the ordinary committee dated 18 regarding the Tourism Noosa Roadmap part B: approve the Tourism Noosa Roadmap attachment 1 in accordance with the requirements of the current 12 month Tourism Noosa funding deed. Endorse option 2, evolve Tourism Noosa to align with the Destination Management Plan as the immediate and primary service delivery model as outlined in the attached and proposed Tourism Noosa Roadmap. And D: request the Chief Executive Officer to bring back a report for endorsement of final terms with Tourism Noosa 2.2 February 2026 round of Council meetings. I put this report to you Councillors.