TOURISM STILL NEEDS SUPPORT

ONE of the big messages leading up to, during and since the Games has been ‘locking in a legacy’.

What are the long-term benefits for our city from hosting this gigantic event?

It’s a critical question that, on the strength of up to $2 billion in public funds to stage the Commonwealth Games, should get the blood pumping of every Gold Coast taxpayer.

Indeed, this question will be the driving force for the Gold Coast Bulletin’s next campaign to be unveiled in the coming days.

One legacy that has been talked up by everyone from the Mayor, to business leaders, city planners and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, is the need to broaden the Gold Coast economy.

We are being urged to diversify beyond the two-step dance of tourism and construction.

That is partly the inspiration for our burgeoning health and knowledge precinct. This was a visionary idea that is already paying dividends through the outstanding efforts of, among others, Griffith University and Gold Coast University Hospital.

Elsewhere, great strides are being made developing our film industry. We are shooting for the stars, aiming to establish the Gold Coast as Australia’s Hollywood.

The staging of the Logies here in the coming weeks is testament to the city’s growing showbiz reputation.

So we must back these initiatives to broaden the economic foundation.

What we cannot afford to do is weaken our two mainstays.

With the closure of yet another Broadbeach eatery this week, the popular Vegan fast-food outlet Feed the Earthlings, it appears that may have already happened.

Feed the Earthlings joins at least 10 other Broadbeach eateries and retailers to have closed their doors in the past six months. They have all cited the same causes: high rents, prolonged redevelopment of Surf Parade and the Commonwealth Games.

Amid all the hope and euphoria that surrounded winning the right to stage the Games back in 2011, triggering a retail slump that would kill off so many businesses in one of our most prestigious retail precincts was the last thing anybody would have anticipated.

It raises important questions that must be answered and heeded to safeguard other tourism assets.

One, could it have been avoided? Did the redevelopment take too long? Did the works encroach unnecessarily on existing businesses? Was there sufficient warning?

Two, can the precinct bounce back to its previous level of activity? Traders are reporting a partial recovery but many are still way behind their turnover from before the Games preparation period.

Three, is there anything that the local or State Government can do to help that recovery?

After the experience they’ve had, some retailers would perhaps wryly suggest the best help government can give is to stay the hell away. Seriously though, there must be consideration given to increasing promotional funding for this precinct. If preparing for and staging the Games was a factor that killed off business, the public sector should consider diverting funds to help get them back on track.

In growing and diversifying our dynamic economy, we cannot afford to leave behind the industries that played such a critical role in our city’s development.