‘No vacancy’: Popular Australian holiday destination could BAN visitors because ‘they are choking the tourist mecca’
- Noosa is considering capping the amount of visitors allowed in the region
- Want to introduce ‘value over volume’ and target ‘high yielding’ customers
- A university group will assess viable limits of people on beaches and meccas
- Noosa, in QLD’s Sunshine Coast, sees more than 2.6million visitors annually
One of Australia’s favourite holiday destinations is considering capping the amount of visitors allowed in the region at any given time.
A sustainable tourist reference group has been formed in Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, to assess the impact tourism is having on the local environment.
Noosa’s mayor Tony Wellington said the family favourite is on the brink of ‘over-tourism’, and many locals have started ‘pushing back against the industry’.
The region, home to more than 52,000 saw approximately 2.36 million visitors in 2016 alone.
A sustainable tourist reference group has been formed in Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, to assess the impact tourism is having on the local environment
The region, home to more than 52,000 saw approximately 2.36 million visitors in 2016 alone
As the population in south-east Queensland continues to grow and cities like Brisbane continue to develop into a business hub, Queenslanders will continue to look north to the Sunshine Coast as a quick and easy holiday option.
But if they are inundating beaches and tourist meccas in Noosa in addition to travellers coming from interstate and internationally, locals fear the environment may suffer.
Mr Wellington will now move to establish a university study to assess viable limits on public spaces in town, The Courier Mail reported.
These limits are likely to be imposed on Main Beach and Hastings Street near the national park.
Just two years ago, Tourism Noosa set out a six year strategy to become recognised as ‘Australia’s most relaxing, desired and sustainable destination’
While the decision is one supported by locals who are fed up with overcrowding on their beaches, small business owners may not be as responsive.
Just two years ago, Tourism Noosa set out a six year strategy to become recognised as ‘Australia’s most relaxing, desired and sustainable destination’.
But the primary goal is to encourage ‘value over volume’ when it comes to the tourists that choose Noosa as their holiday destination.
The brief said it would target ‘high yielding visitors, particularly from interstate and international markets’.
Small businesses on the foreshore of Main Beach and in tourist hubs often rely on the spending of passersby to stay afloat.
The challenge for Mr Wellington and the sustainable tourist reference group is to ensure local businesses are satisfied with the outcome of capping visitors while also protective the environment and appeal of Noosa.