Alan Golley, Tourism Noosa

2:20 Alan Golley: My name is Alan Golley, and I am a Noosa resident and rate payer. I'm General Manager of Seahaven Noosa Resort on Hastings Street, and I love the Noosa community. I dedicate a significant amount of time, my own time and energy, in supporting community organisations. I'm the Secretary of the Hastings Street Association, I'm President of my P&C Association at Cooroy State School, and I'm here today in the capacity as Chair of Tourism Noosa. I'm here representing the 450 businesses and community groups that make up our membership, those that pay rates contributing to Council's operating revenue, and those businesses that understand the critical role Tourism Noosa plays in shaping the economy and the Noosa brand, both for visitors and for locals. Tourism Noosa was established as a not-for-profit destination marketing organisation, not a private company, not a for-profit marketing firm, and certainly not a political organisation. It was created for the business community to promote the region and to promote the brand. For over two decades we have worked collaboratively with Council, not against it, in the best interests of Noosa. There is no personal benefit to the Board of Volunteers. Its actions are scrutinised by Council, and by local tourism and non-tourism businesses that make up its membership.

3:41 Tourism Noosa is here, asking the Council to accept the further terms of its membership as part of our current funding and performance deed, honouring their commitment to the business community until the destination management plan is ready and we can renegotiate the terms of the deed. The funding and performance deed heavily emphasised that TN's strategic direction would be guided by the destination management plan, and that Tourism Noosa would implement relevant aspects of it. With the DMP delayed, TN needs to continue the work of the Council-endorsed four-year destination strategy that we presented two years ago. Originally, Tourism Noosa was funded by a specific tourism and economic levy. This made the link between visitor economy support and business contributions completely transparent. When Council chose to move that levy into general rates, it noted that tourism and economic development activities should be funded by general rates, but applied only to businesses that currently pay the levy. As such, the amount of revenue collected and subsequently spent by the business community on delivering these services to support the tourism and visitor economy will remain unchanged. Clearly understood by the business community that the quantum they contributed, and therefore that was spent on brand management, would not change.

4:57 Businesses continue to pay these contributions year on year, and they have increased. There has been no CPI increase to Tourism Noosa's core funding for 10 years. Had CPI been introduced back at the start, over the 10-year period, Tourism Noosa's operating revenue today from Council would be $3.2 million. Over 10 years, that's $3 million in efficiencies that our organisation has had to find. Over the last few years, as businesses' general rates have increased by CPI, those funds have been diverted into economic development activities and helping Council to weather their own inflationary pressures to the budget. We know that tourism is not the only industry in town. It is, however, a significant industry. Arguably the largest. And tourism businesses support many other local businesses within our Shire, engaging their goods and services. This is apparent through an independent study that found 45% of businesses rely on tourism for most of their operating income, and another 30% of businesses rely on it for some of their operating income. That's 75% of businesses that directly feel the benefits of the visitor economy. These businesses are owned and operated by locals, by rate payers, and they employ many locals to keep their businesses running.

6:13 But we also need to look at the broader economic climate. I'm sure our residents are already starting to feel the effects of a volatile market. The world is entering a period of financial uncertainty. Indicators of a global recession are appearing. And whether it's consumer sentiment, discretionary spending, or international travel patterns, we are going to feel it. Now is not the time to devalue one of the organisations that has the expertise and agility and credibility to respond to the crisis. We need to respond when economic conditions tighten. The current deed explicitly noted that negotiations for the further term should have been completed by the 31st of December 2024. Council has delayed this process, through reasons we understand, but it's already having real impacts, with Tourism Noosa not able to fully commit to our winter campaign, which we operate every year, supporting tourism through the quiet winter months, and supporting the Noosa economy over that period. When the global financial crisis hit, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to When floods, fires, and, like recently, cyclones, have majorly impacted our businesses, Tourism Noosa mobilised quickly to support local businesses, protect our brand, and stimulate the visitor economy. We know that tourism activity in Noosa is not all attributed to what we do at Tourism Noosa.

7:29 If we didn't exist, people would still come. But the most dangerous thing we can do right now is to devalue the Noosa brand. A premium, nature-based, values-driven brand that took decades to build. Other destinations are actively seeking the same markets that we are. And by failing to invest in that brand, our share of those markets diminishes, we get lower demand from those brands, which means we'll need to bring down accommodation rates to get people through the doors. This will attract more people from those lower value, higher volume markets, they stay less, they spend less. And there will be increased residential amenity with more of those low value people and less economic stimulation from the visitor economy. This will also impact business investment into the Shire. This is not hype. Tourism is a competitive market, and we must remain on the front of it. We know that Noosa's appeal is built not only in what we offer to visitors, but in what we protect for residents. Tourism Noosa does not aim to increase the volume for volume's sake. Or to push overflow tourism into the hinterland, or actively seek out residential properties to convert into STAs. Quite the opposite, its strategy focuses on high-value, values-aligned visitation.

8:45 Visitors who stay longer, spend more, and respect the place. We promote tourists staying in Noosa to visit the hinterland, so that they can spread the economic value through the Shire. Our strategy clearly works. Visitation numbers have dropped since the height of 2.5 million people per year in 2015, to our recent stats showing just below 2 million annual visitors. A drop of 300,000 day-trippers per year, when the population of South East Queensland has actually grown from 3.4 million to 4.1 million. Visitation decreasing by 22%, yet the value of the visitor economy has continued to grow. Creating division in the community and spreading misinformation about our strategy is not in the best interest of the community. Collaboration is key to embracing regenerative tourism. Bringing community, environment, culture, and tourism together towards true stewardship of our destination. We actively bring together stakeholders from across the Shire through regular roundtable meetings with environmental groups, business associations, council staff, and other interest groups. This collaboration ensures that tourism strategies align with shared values, and that actions are informed, transparent, and responsible. Tourism Noosa doesn't view it separately.

10:01 Tourism Noosa doesn't view it separately. It is an integral part of the community made up of locals, businesses, parents, volunteers, employees, and advocates. These people all share a deep care for this place, and a genuine commitment to getting the balance right. Now Noosa doesn't need the same level of destination marketing as it did ten year ago or twenty years ago. We acknowledge that. That's exactly why our approach has changed. Today, destination marketing isn't about billboards and mass exposure. It's about targeted engagement. It's about engagement, it's about reputation management, it's about value alignment and it's about education. We're constantly analysing trends, visitor sentiment and community values to ensure that the Noosa brand remains competitive, relevant and reflective of who we are as a Shire.

10:50 Tourism Noosa's strategic plan places the natural environment as a core value. This isn't lip service, it's measurable, resourced and long term commitment. We deliver education to visitors on how to travel responsibly. We promote low impact experiences, we have developed campaigns around nature, wildlife protection, sustainable travel behaviours and we've partnered with and run entire campaigns promoting the UNESCO Noosa Biosphere Reserve and are a partner in Noosa Landcare through our Trees for Tourism program which has helped to regenerate koala corridors and marid lands. We've managed erosion in our hinterland. Tourism giving back to the environment. We recognise as a broader business community that the natural environment is our economy. Protecting it isn't just good PR, it's essential. And Tourism Noosa has been leading that conversation in a way that aligns with both Council's values and the wider aspirations of the community. And there is much more work to be done in this space. Tourism Noosa has evolved to meet the moment. It's tightened its budget, it has shifted its strategy, it has collaborated more than ever before. And it has done so whilst being held to increasingly high standards. One that it consistently meets. We are not here asking for more. We are simply asking that the original agreement be honoured.

12:06 That the funding continue to a level that reflects the value of the business community it represents until we can renegotiate terms based on the destination management plan. This is not about marketing. It's about brand management. It's about our reputation as a Shire. It's about jobs, families, the future of Noosa as a place to live, work and visit.