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Rejuvenate Gold Coast beaches ‘immediately' urges chamber
THE GOLD COAST Central Chamber of Commerce is calling on the Gold Coast City Council to immediately recover sand to its storm-decimated beaches, to save the tourism industry and the city's economy.
President of the GC Central Chamber of Commerce Inc, Jason Deacon said Gold Coast business was of the opinion that the decision by the Gold Coast City Council to not repair coastline erosion before April "is a huge mistake for tourism and the broader economy".
Mr Deacon said if the beaches were not repaired at the earliest opportunity, the Gold Coast risked losing large numbers of bookings for the vital tourism season of Easter.
In a communication to members and associates of the chamber, he said, "Council has outlined plans to dredge 60,000 cubic metres of sand from the Broadwater to be used to repair the erosion, however, this is not expected to happen until mid-April.
"Leaving the beaches for more than another month has the potential to cause both short and long term damage to the city's reputation. We need to face up to reality: for many people, our beaches are a central draw card.
"While I am absolutely behind our collective push to diversify our image, I do believe we need to remember that our beaches are an incredible asset that draw a great deal of attention to the city.
"The likelihood is that we will lose bookings for Easter if the beaches remain virtually unusable, and for those that do come, the experience may be enough for them to not want to come again or to tell others not to bother visiting.
"We also have a huge market for day-trippers who come here to specifically to swim and surf, and then will grab lunch, go shopping, or enjoy one of the many entertainment venues here.
"If we experience a drop in both of these kinds of visitors, I'll be very concerned for the city's economy."
Mr Deacon said there was a wider worry that the Gold Coast was projecting an image of not being concerned about the quality of its shoreline.
"We might do some seriously lasting damage to our brand," he said.
According to the GC Central Chamber of Commerce, tourism is worth about $4.5 billion of the Gold Coast's annual gross regional product of $19.6 billion.
"I am not just saying this to support operators in the area of tourism - I am saying this to support all Gold Coast businesses," Mr Deacon said.
"The flow-on effects of reduced income from tourism would be felt across the city in all industry sectors.
"Given that many businesses here are doing it tough as it is, I seriously hope the council reconsiders their decision to wait such a length of time before acting on this major issue."
http://www.goldcoastcentralchamber.com.au/
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