TOURISM THE NEW MINING

NEWS today that tourism has surpassed mining in terms of its economic contribution to Australia should be a turning point in the way we think about the industry and its contribution to the Gold Coast.

For too long, state and federal governments of all stripes have taken tourism — and its associated businesses and employees — for granted. It is an industry that is clean, sustainable and on the up.

Yet the assistance and attention it receives from governments pales compared to that doled out to the mining industry.

One 2013 estimate put federal government subsidies and concessions to mining at $4.5 billion. The Queensland Government alone was said to be directing subsidies of $1.4 billion each year to the industry. And the Turnbull Government is mulling a $1 billion loan to Adani to build a rail line to its new Queensland coal project.

We say this not to beat up on the mining industry. It has sustained thousands of jobs in Queensland for many decades, brought the state great riches in royalties and will continue to play an important role in the economy for many years to come.

But natural resources are finite. At some point we will have dug them all up or have decided to leave them in the ground because of economic or climate realities.

Tourism is the future, especially on the Gold Coast where we have a finely honed offering that is luring more and more domestic and international visitors, according to the most recent figures.

How transformational might a $1 billion concessional loan be to Australian tourism industry operators?

What about greater breaks to developers of vital tourism infrastructure such as hotels, theme parks and cruise ship terminals?

When Gold Coast beaches were ravaged by erosion in 2013, the state and federal governments turned their backs.

It was up to Gold Coast ratepayers to repair these prime national tourist attractions at a cost of many millions of dollars.

There needs to be a shift in governments’ thinking and a greater level of respect and support afforded to the tourism industry.

There may be mining booms to come but right now we are in the midst of a boom of a different type and it is tourism.