ROOM FOR EVERYONE

THERE are many thousands of people for whom either Schoolies or the Gold Coast 600 are the highlight of the year.

They pour into the city in huge numbers, giving a welcome boost to local hotels and restaurants.

But for others, these two events represent low points in the calendar.

They are the people for whom closed roads, crowded public transport and drunkenness come to mind.

For such people, Schoolies and the GC600 are an unwelcome interruption to the laidback lifestyle more normally enjoyed on the Gold Coast.

These events also project an image of the city that some, such as Ray Group CEO Tom Ray, find unflattering and inaccurate.

Mr Ray, whose long record of success in commercial property development makes his a voice well worth listening to, believes it is time to consider whether these events really do the city more harm than good.

In Mr Ray’s view, the Gold Coast should cling tight to a family-friendly image and eschew the GC600 and Schoolies parties.

Recent advertising from Gold Coast tourism – which has ditched the ‘famous for fun’ moniker in favour of an emphasis on more relaxed lifestyle experiences – would indicate they share similar thinking.

Mr Ray makes the point that young families tend to spend more money when they visit the Coast, thus making them an attractive target market for tourism bosses.

A valid argument. And yet, losing Schoolies and the GC600 would surely elicit some pangs of regret.

Although the two events do cause disruption, they often attract people to the city for the first time who might otherwise never have thought to visit.

How many people, for instance, having being wowed by the city as young people during memorable Schoolies trips, return years later with children of their own to enjoy family holidays?

And the images projected to millions of TV screens during the GC600 are far from being all negative.

Far better of course if the city can have its cake and eat it by accommodating families and more raucous visitors equally well.

Better traffic management and public transport should be part of our future. But it is to be hoped this can be achieved without losing too much of our past.