Canals our hidden gem
Wyndham Cruises general manager Dean Griffin believes much more could be made of the waterways in Surfers Paradise and that the bell should be rung on Schoolies
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE GOLD COAST?
“I love that we live in a subtropical climate – it means that all the people of the Gold Coast can have an outdoor lifestyle any time of the year.
“Being a Kiwi I love the sunshine, the golden beaches and the beautiful Broadwater – the relaxed lifestyle.
“I love we stage world-class events such as the marathon, which I deem one of the best marathon courses in the world – having run it myself three times, it’s a fantastic course, great sightseeing out there, I absolutely love it.
“It also brings 43,000 visitors from outside of the Gold Coast.
“The Gold Coast would have to be one of the most unique cities in the world to live, work and play and I’m extremely proud to be part of it.
“I love how, in the past 10 years that I’ve lived here, I’ve seen the Gold Coast mature and the local people have really grasped what the Gold Coast is all about.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE DONE BETTER ON THE GOLD COAST?
“I believe we need to scrap Schoolies.
“It’s run very well, there’s nothing wrong with the way it is run but I think we need to be portraying the right image and this certainly doesn’t happen when Schoolies is on.
“A big thing is for me, being in a tourist operation, fewer people visit Surfers Paradise during this festival – especially young families, and young families are good yielding tourists.
“We want the Gold Coast to be recognised as a safe and fun place to visit and my past experience of Schoolies is the only traders doing well are fast food outlets and bottle shops.
“Schoolies is definitely not a great economic driver for the city – not for tourism.”
IN YOUR TRAVELS, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN BEING DONE ELSEWHERE YOU THINK COULD WORK WELL HERE? “Having lived in London for two-and-a-half years, and travelling through Europe, we need to make more use of our waterways.
“We have more canals on the Gold Coast than Amsterdam and Venice combined.
Go anywhere in the world that has waterways in the heart of a city, like we do here in Sur- fers Paradise, and it’s a hub of activities – they have restaurants, bars, cafes.
“There’s still a lot of ideas for opportunities for businesses on the waterway – especially if a transport network was established on the waterways.
“Our waterways are a hidden treasure that is still untouched.”
IF MONEY, TIME, LAWS AND APPROVALS WERE NO ISSUE, WHAT IS ONE BIG PROJECT YOU’D UNDERTAKE TOMORROW?
“The cruise ship terminal is a must. If we want to be known as a world-class tourism destination, this is essential for the Gold Coast.
“I’ve been researching some figures: Queensland continues to be Australia’s second largest cruise ship market, accounting for 23.6 per cent of the total number of cruise passengers – generating $4.485 million in direct expenditure for Queensland from a total of 275 port visits and 645,000 passenger days at port.
“The cruise industry provides an economic boost to Brisbane and coastal Queensland – particularly far north Queensland, Fraser Coast and Townsville.
“The Gold Coast is missing out, it’s crazy. It’s crazy we’re missing out on those numbers.
“The second one is a bit of fun for me – rooftop bars.
“We have some of the best beaches and views in the world and we don’t make the most of it.”
WHAT CONVERSATIONS SHOULD GOLD COAST MOVERS AND SHAKERS BE HAVING?
“The future of the Gold Coast – really good tactical planning, especially in tourism.
“We have to keep evolving as a tourist destination. Tourism is our strength and we have to play to our strength.”