Local government has a role in managing all impacts on its residents, and tourism has a huge impact here, from housing affordability and a rental crisis, to traffic congestion and events management.
Having invested around $50 million in the support of Tourism Noosa (TN) of the past 20 years, and a similar amount on tourism infrastructure, it’s pretty obvious that tourism is a core council business. Only now are we realising the cost of this industry to residents and ratepayers. Incredibly, only now is destination management entering the debate.
Tourism marketing is the responsibility of the industry, not ratepayers generally. Although a levy is applied to industry beneficiaries, it really only covers infrastructure spend, not tourism marketing. There was a boardwalk at $7.0m, a back road that linked the Noosa Country Drive at $6.5m. a playground for the small hinterland town, which will likely cost around $7.0m after all associated works are complete, and a planned $6.5m upgrade to Noosa Parade.
A bloated organisation, TN has been a quango with too little oversight, for too long. One-hundred million dollars over 20 years gives council a firm right to determine how money is spent in the future. It’s time we faced up to the impacts of over-spending on tourism, and under-spending on our community. We know tourism is an important part of the economy, but we also know that there is a limit to the number of visitors who can be provided for, catered for by our infrastructure, and can be afforded to our ratepayers.
I sat on the Sustainable Tourism Stakeholder Reference Group, as a resident group representative, for 18 months and watched the tourism industry members block suggestion after suggestion on ways the concerns of residents, including that of over-tourism, may be ameliorated. In the end, the Chair, Steve McFarlane, asked the four resident groups represented to put forward a draft accord (SEE BELOW) on a way forward. After many meetings we did, only to have our statement rejected by both the industry and the peak environment group, the NPA. The latter was big on limiting day visitors to Noosa and concentrating on high value, low volume visitors. Of course, along came COVID-19, TN went for the drive market, naturally, and we ended up with high volume, low value visitors.
Far from the grand conspiracy theory of Old Guard control and change proposed by writers on this site, Tourism Noosa has been a law unto itself for the past 20 years. Autonomous, with virtually no council oversight, and only a council-nominated observer on the board, TN has gone its merry way.
Unfortunately, all I see in the future is the New Guard trying to wrest control of Noosa institutions for their own means. How this is any improvement, I don’t know. In any case, it’s interesting to watch the huff and puff of the new spruikers as they go about changing the guard.
A JOINT DECLARATION & COMMITMENT – May 2019 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM FOR NOOSA
World Tourism Organisation’s definition of sustainable tourism:
“Sustainable tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”
The need to act
Since the 1960s, Noosa’s residents have striven to protect their natural environment, and to shape a human-scale built environment in harmony with it. Noosa’s tourism sector has emerged as an acknowledged innovator within the Australian tourism industry. Noosa Council has worked closely with, and given expression to, resident and tourism industry aspirations. These achievements have resulted from a collaborative relationship between residents, tourism providers and Council.
At the same time, Noosa is recognised nationally and internationally as a great place to live and visit, to the point where the quality of residents’ lifestyles, visitors’ experiences, and Noosa’s natural and built environments, are now at risk from the impacts of over-tourism.
Planning for success
The Noosa community, tourism industry, and Council have a proud history of innovation in making and keeping Noosa a special place to live and visit, and we are committed to working collaboratively to seek a commonly agreed future, and the ways and means of realising it.
We face the vital challenge of transitioning towards a more sustainable Noosa tourism industry, one that:
- takes into full account its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts; and
- addresses the needs of our visitors, our tourism industry, and our natural and built environments, with due regard to the needs and aspirations of the Noosa community.
The framework for change
- We are committed to working collaboratively to lead positive change, inspiring and driving the Noosa tourism industry towards initiatives that manage tourism’s impacts, and to working together to address challenges that impact on resident amenity such as:
- management of acceptable visitor level numbers for overnight and day visitors;
- reducing carbon emissions derived from the tourism industry via appropriate offsetting methods;
- achieving an integrated public and private transport system that contributes to both visitor and resident satisfaction; and
- ameliorating the impacts of over-tourism on some of the Noosa region’s natural assets.
Most importantly, we are committed to ensuring Noosa remains a great place to live and visit.
Measuring our success
We will know we will have succeeded when:
- Evidence shows we have successfully managed the adverse impacts of visitors while, at the same time, offering them a deeper, engaging experience that engenders a respect for what we value, without compromising lifestyle or reducing the natural amenity of Noosa Shire.
- Our tourism sector has achieved environmental sustainability.
- Tourism Noosa is an industry leader in terms of responsible, sustainable and nature-based Tourism Destination Management.
We are committed to:
1.Achieving a quality visitation experience for Noosa’s over-night guests and day-trippers, in a manner that is compatible with a quality lifestyle for Noosa’s residents.
1.1 Context
Increasingly, overcrowding and congestion in coastal ‘hot spots’, threatens to erode visitor and resident satisfaction, particularly during peak periods.
Resident and overnight visitor numbers are to a large extent controlled by the ‘development cap’ embedded in successive Noosa town planning schemes. The emergent challenge is to manage increasing day-tripper numbers too, so that during peak times, the total of number people in a hotspot (residents + overnight visitors + day trippers) does not reach the point where overcrowding and congestion diminishes the experience for all.
The STSRG is currently exploring the concept of acceptable visitor numbers for hotspots, which is the point where overcrowding and congestion diminishes the experience for all.
It is proposed that acceptable visitor numbers be determined for each of the following hotspots:
• Peregian Beach and Sunshine Beach shopping centres, • Noosa National Park Headland Section, • Hasting Street, Main Beach and Noosa Spit, • Gympie Terrace and Noosaville foreshore, • Noosa Marina, • Tewantin shopping centre, • Noosa River between Tewantin and the river mouth, • Teewah Beach to Double Island Point, and • Upper Noosa River.
Acceptable visitor numbers to be:
- determined for each hotspot, and for different times of the year;
- negotiated between the Noosa tourism industry, Noosa business groups, Noosa resident groups, Noosa environmental groups, and Noosa Council; and
- informed by, but not bound by, commissioned university research.
Establishing agreed acceptable visitor numbers for hotspots will be necessary if Noosa wishes to avoid over-tourism, overcrowding and congestion and to proactively manage towards a sustainable tourism industry.
1.2 By the end of 2019
University research will have been commissioned on acceptable visitor numbers for the ‘hotspots’ listed above.
Initial research findings to be available for STSRG consideration by May 2020.
2. Achieving an integrated public and private transport system that contributes to both visitor and resident satisfaction.
2.1 Context
Increased traffic congestion and lack of transport options is eroding both Noosa’s tourism experience and resident lifestyle.
Attributes of an integrated public and private transport system that contributes to both visitor and resident satisfaction are likely to include:
- increased public transport, with differential pricing for residents, over-nighters, and day-trippers;
- smarter management of road access to hotspots (e.g. Noosa Parade, Noosa Drive and Park Road, with differential access for residents, overnighters, and day trippers (e.g. first priority for public transport and private transport of residents and over-nighters living/staying in the hotspot precinct, followed by residents and visitors generally, followed by day trippers);
- increased park and ride, with differential access for residents, over-night guests, and day trippers (e.g. differential fare pricing, differential access to and payment for parking);
- increased paid parking in public car parks, with differential access and/or payment for residents, over-night guests, and day trippers;
- gradual introduction of management of acceptable visitor numbers in hotspots, by using an appropriate mix of the approaches outlined above; and
- a negotiated set of ‘gives and gets’ between Noosa’s tourist, business, resident, and environmental sectors, and Noosa Council.
2.2 By the end of 2019
A draft Noosa Council integrated public and private transport plan that has been prepared in consultation with the STSRG and given due consideration to the above.
3.Noosa’s tourism industry becoming carbon emissions neutral by 2030.
3.1 Context
To become environmentally sustainable, it is necessary for Noosa’s tourism industry to progressively reduce carbon emissions directly when practical, and by offsetting when not.
Initially the largest reductions can be achieved by focusing on offsets associated with tourism travel to and from Noosa, and electricity consumption while in Noosa (the uptake up of solar rooftop power generation in Noosa is approximately 35% of residential dwellings compared with 2-3% of tourism accommodation and premises).
It is proposed that:
- The investment costs of progressively reducing carbon emissions should be bourne, in the main, by members of Noosa’s tourism industry and external funding sources, rather than residential ratepayers.
- Tourism business operators be encouraged to directly invest to progressively reduce their carbon emissions.
- Tourism business operators who choose not to do so will be levied by Noosa Council via a revised tourism levy, with Council determining and administering the appropriate offsetting strategies.
3.2 By the end of 2019:
A Draft Noosa Tourism Carbon Reduction Plan for tourism travel and electricity consumption for 2020 – 2030 – for consideration, refinement and adoption by the incoming Council in 2020. Responsibility: Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa, in consultation with STSRG.
A Draft Amended Tourism Levy – for consideration, refinement and adoption by the incoming Council in 2020. Responsibility: Noosa Council.
A Draft Carbon Emissions Offset Policy – for consideration, refinement and adoption by the incoming Council in 2020. Responsibility: Noosa Council.
Endorsed by: Cooroy Area Residents Association; Heart of Pomona Inc; Noosa Residents & Ratepayers Association; Peregian Beach Community Association; Noosa Parks Association.
Awaiting endorsement by: Noosa Council; Tourism Noosa; CCIQ Noosa; Cooroy Chamber of Commerce; Hastings Street Association; Noosa & District Landcare; Noosa Community Biosphere Association; Noosa Integrated Catchment Association; Noosa Junction Association; Noosaville Business Association; Zero Emissions Noosa.
Presented to the Sustainable Tourism Stakeholder Reference Group
July 2019
