Real impact of GC2018 felt in years to come

THE Commonwealth Games has kickstarted the Gold Coast’s major events industry, with new modelling revealing $61 million was generated across more than 320 events at venues built or upgraded for the Games.

On the first anniversary of the Gold Coast hosting Queensland’s biggest ever sporting event, it can be revealed the Games also contributed to more locals participating in sport.

Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones said the Gold Coast City Council had already booked another 50 events for 2020.

“Today’s data proves that the Commonwealth Games are having a real impact on the Gold Coast’s tourism industry,” Ms Jones said.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without our $1.5 billion investment in infrastructure ahead of the Commonwealth Games.”

Economic modelling to be released today reveals that in the six months directly following the Games, more than 320 events were held in venues that hosted the Games.

The major upgrade to the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre – the showpiece of GC2018 swimming and diving – was the big crowd puller.

“Since the Games, the Coast continues to attract high-profile events at the aquatic centre with the pool rescue competition at the world lifesaving

championships to be held at the venue over August and September 2024,” Ms Jones said.

“The event will host 5000 competitors from 50 countries and contribute a $15 million boost to the local economy.

“This is exactly what the Commonwealth Games legacy is all about – new major events that support tourism jobs on the Gold Coast.”

The GC2018 Visitor Survey revealed a further 440,000 extra visitors in the years following the Games.

Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said she expected even more.

“The greatest impact of the Games is being felt over the next few years with tourism and the event economies set to benefit the most,’’ she said.

“From a tourism perspective the key indicators for success include an increase in visitation and spend, heightened destination awareness and the ability to attract more major events.”

A recent Griffith University study forecast the Games would deliver 1.27 million visitors in the four years leading up to and during the event.

This is despite the Coast only achieving a 1.4 per cent lift in international tourism, well below the statewide rise of 4.6 per cent last year.

Gold Coast City Council statistics show the re-purposed sporting venues have attracted 617,000 patrons and hosted 323 events since the Games finished.

Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon, the Assistant Tourism Industry Development Minister, said some venues had reported a 200 per cent increase in weekend sport participation.

“We invested heavily in new sports venues and significant improvements to existing facilities ahead of the Games and our community is reaping the rewards now.”

Di Dixon, project director at the Gold Coast’s Health and Knowledge precinct, credited the Games with jump-starting the area’s multimillion-dollar development.

“It really provided an opportunity just to raise our profile, using the Games as that leverage,” she said.

“The soft legacy is the promotion, credibility, recognition of the precinct worldwide and then we’ve got the hard legacy of infrastructure, having a developable precinct.”

Chair of the Legacy Advisory Committee Rob Borbidge said while the Games had presented a “unique opportunity” for the Gold Coast, it had also been a learning experience.

“Ticket sales were a success, the Games were a financial success and everything went well but I think there was an impression created that you wouldn’t be able to move on the roads, that the Gold Coast would be congested,” he said.

“So we had a lot of local people who left during the Games, and some people from areas around the Coast who would have driven around to events probably thought it was going to be too crowded and too congested.’’

GOLDOC’s chief executive officer Mark Peters, who relocated to the Gold Coast during his time working on the Games, said he had seen his staff do the same.

“A number of people of very high skill levels have stayed on the Coast after the Games,” he said. “You run major events for a whole lot of reasons. What you want is more local people experiencing the diversity of a world event, you want to see businesses develop their skills.”

Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre director Brendan Flynn said the training facility for GC2018 athletes had experienced a post-Games boom with membership soaring.

“Because of the Commonwealth Games, we upgraded our running track and hockey pitch to an internationally accredited standard and we also upgraded our gym just prior to the Games, and we have never been busier,” Mr Flynn said.

Mayor Tom Tate said council data showed strong participation in sports across venues.