Boss backs action over trade losses

People urged to spend up

THE livid owner of a popular Gold Coast restaurant is questioning pre-Commonwealth Games visitor projections and says he’d back a class action against organisers for losses.

Carlo Percuoco, owner of renowned Fellini at Marina Mirage, has joined operators to decry Games and Easter trade, saying it is his worst since opening in 1996.

“I’m pissed off with (Games organisers) GOLDOC, State Government, local council and tourism. The statements they put out, the projections, I don’t know where they got them.”

Mr Percuoco said he would support a class action against GOLDOC, rumoured to be under discussion by some.

“I wouldn’t start it but join,” he said.

Mr Percuoco said he was fobbed off when he questioned council officers about figures quoted pre-Games: “I was asking ‘Please explain? Where’d you get those numbers?’”

“They said ‘They I’d were GOLDOC figures’. They were saying around 600,000 people were coming.”

GOLDOC and Gold Coast Tourism forecast the Games would generate 30,000 fulltime jobs and 672,000 visitors with 50,000 from overseas.

Mr Percuoco said he had no bump in trade from guests at nearby Sheraton Mirage, the Commonwealth Games Federation Family Hotel.

“All these officials have everything paid for,” he said.

“An official told me ‘Most of us don’t even bring money’.

“We’ve got four times as many bookings Saturday after the Games than we had on Saturday during the Games.”

Mayor Tom Tate infuriated business owners last week, saying they needed to look at their product and “get out there and market ... it’s no use whining.”

Later, he said his “support for business has been misinterpreted. I respect businesses have done a lot to be Games ready”.

Patrick Gennari, owner of Broadbeach’s Koi, Loose Moose and Roosevelt Lounge, said the Games hadn’t delivered a business boost organisers predicted and crowds were here for sport not as tourists.

Traders were warned to expect 1200 people a day to cross the highway from the Convention Centre to Surf Parade.

“The reality is hundreds, not thousands,” he said.

But he hoped the media profile would encourage people to visit the Coast in future.

“We might not have made any money but hopefully we’ll get something out of it if they make a return visit,” he said. FEARING there will be nothing but tumbleweeds rolling through parts of the Gold Coast, city and state leaders are imploring people to splash cash at shops and restaurants.

With just a week of action left with the Commonwealth Games, the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce is urging people to ignore the traffic scare campaign mounted by Government agencies and GOLDOC in the lead-up.

And at the southern end of the city, businesses are lamenting an exodus of locals south of the border because of official transport warnings, loss of parking, road closures and signs saying one major thoroughfare was closed even when it wasn’t.

“We are encouraging residents to ignore all the warnings about traffic chaos and get out to enjoy all the delights of the Games,’’ Central chamber president Martin Hall said.

“Businesses across the board are reporting quieter than expected trading and we have even received comments from visitors about how few residents are out and about.’’

Games chairman Peter Beattie quashed rumours of hotel price gouging before the event, although he conceded private renters may have gouged. “Not the major hotels, no, there is no price gouging,” he said. “I think the hotels are around about 73 per cent booked out at the moment, which is not bad really. We’d love to see them all full though.”

Mr Beattie said the problem was not getting people to the Coast, but getting people to visit a number of areas along the strip. “The people who would normally come from Brisbane over Easter, didn’t. It seems to me now the numbers are starting to pick up. We’ve got huge numbers of people here, the crowds are here, but I don’t think they’re spreading evenly across the Coast.’’

Southern businesses said the past week had been their worst in months due to a lock-up of roads for Games preparations.

Nigel and Liz Milnes, who operate the popular Devocean coffee and surf shop at Currumbin, said part of the problem was signage saying Pacific Parade was closed for the Race Walk when it remained open.

Southern traders estimated takings were down by 40 per cent for the holidays.