TOURISM SHAKE-UP LOOMING
Who the bloody hell is running this $800m a year industry?
TOOWOOMBA’S massive tourism sector worth about $800 million a year is set for a major shake-up in the coming months.
The local and state government-funded Southern Queensland Country Tourism will hold its strategic planning meeting on January 24, which could feature changes to its structure that involved the privately-run Tourism Darling Downs.
It comes as the futures of the CEOs of both organisations are under a cloud.
It is understood TDD’s Ruth Wetmore has moved on already, while SQCT’s Mary-Clare Power is believed to be leaving at the end of her contract in 2019.
‘‘ I SEE THERE’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SUPER-CHARGING TOURISM IN THIS REGION.
CR GEOFF MCDONALD
A MAJOR shake-up looms in Toowoomba’s tourism industry, with changes on the cards for the region’s two competing organisations and its CEOs.
The board of the State Government-funded Southern Queensland Country Tourism will meet later this month to discuss potential structural changes, to which the privately-owned Tourism Darling Downs has been invited.
It comes amid concerns for the futures of each organisations’ chief executive officers.
More than two million people visited the region in 2017-18 and pumped $794 million into economy, according to SQCT.
SQCT CEO Mary-Clare Power is believed to be finishing up this year.
It is understood she has purchased a unit in Brisbane and is looking for opportunities there. She declined to comment.
It is also understood TDD chief executive Ruth Wetmore has left her group, and her LinkedIn profile shows her now working in Sydney.
Ms Wetmore didn’t respond to phone calls, while chairman and group founder John Wagner declined to comment.
Toowoomba councillor Geoff McDonald, who is also on the board of SQCT, said he was open to seeing a possible merger or new entity created from both groups.
Speaking on behalf of the TRC, Cr McDonald said he would like to see any arrangement that reduced confusion for tourism operators and encouraged more visitors to the region.
“I see there’s a great opportunity to super-charging tourism in this region,” he said.
“Our region could benefit by bringing the best elements (of both groups) together.
“Council’s role is to explore the options it has and the State Government is looking at what we’re doing and what the regional tourism operator is doing.”
SQCT chair Jane Summers said SQCT’s strategic planning meeting on January 24 could deliver some changes to the organisation, but she had not had serious talks with the TDD board about a merger or new organisation.
“We’re not planning on making major changes to the organisation in the short term,” she said.
“Both organisations, their primary objectives are to grow tourism in our region. The priorities are different, but the goals on the same.
“Working together is a requirement, and it’s no secret that the organisations could work more closely than they have.
“We have been encouraging those conversations, and we’ve held meetings together annually.”
Ms Summers also said she had not heard anything about Ms Power’s future with the organisation.
“She’s still with us, she’s still our CEO. Her contract is until the middle of the year, until that time we foresee she’ll be with SQCT,” she said.
The saga between the two groups started in early 2017, when John Wagner started forming a new group in response to what he said were poor visitor growth numbers across the region.
Tourism Darling Downs was founded in May of that year, and Ms Wetmore was hired as the CEO.
Environment and community portfolio leader Cr Joe Ramia questioned the need for two different organisations.
“I think it’s been going on since Darling Downs Tourism formed, because they’re doing almost the same things,” he said.
“I don’t know that we need two tourism organisations – what I think we need is one body working together.
“If someone could come up with a formula for that, I’d be supportive.”