Winter on way out

THE tourism boss of the Gold Coast has dropped a bombshell, resigning from his position of more than 10 years.

Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter has informed the board he will resign after the Commonwealth Games.

Mr Winter was under pressure in September last year from Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo who was critical of the Gold Coast “losing market share” with figures showing drops in internation- al visitor bed nights and spending. At the time Mr Winter called Mr Ciobo’s blast a “cheap shot at the Gold Coast tourism industry” and Mr Ciobo responded by saying he had lost confidence in Mr Winter as CEO.

Gold Coast Tourism chairman Paul Donovan had to step in and broker a meeting between the pair, with Mr Donovan saying: “The Minister is an important stakeholder in the Coast visitor economy and we’ll work with him.”

Mr Donovan defended Mr Winter at the time, saying: “No one person is responsible for the destination’s figures but the aim of every stakeholder is to ensure the Gold Coast remains Australia’s premier holiday destination.”

During his tenure Mr Winter oversaw the city’s ‘Famous for Fun’ brand and the recent ‘We Are Destination Gold Coast’ rollout.

“Over the past decade the Gold Coast has firmly established itself as the leading holiday destination in Australia, and in an increasingly mobile and connected world, GCT is poised for even greater things in the coming years,” Mr Winter said.

“Following the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games there could no better time for me to hand off to the next generation of leadership.

“I would like to recognise the value of the positive collaboration we enjoy with our key industry stakeholders, particularly the City of Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland and Tourism Australia.”

Mr Donovan said he was “grateful” for Mr Winter’s leadership.

“Over the period (of his tenure), visitor numbers have increased by more than 2.5 million annually, and for the last year alone, we have seen a record 3.95 million domestic overnight visitors and a record high of 1.056 million international visitors, directly generating over $5 billion into the local economy,” Mr Donovan said.

The Board has begun an international search to recruit Mr Winter’s successor.

The timing of the handover will be determined once an appointment has been made and a transition plan devised.