REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday, July 13, 2006

GOLD Coasters thought less of Surfers Paradise than tourists did.

An eight-month survey confirmed what was suspected – that many Gold Coast residents had avoided Surfers Paradise for years, put off by welldocumented traffic debacles and night-time violence.

Even the gaudy neon lights of the tourist shops in the late 1980s and 1990s still resonated with older residents, some of whom had not set foot in Surfers for up to six years.

Traders group Surfers Paradise

Management which commissioned the Newspoll surveys, said it would use the data to reverse perceptions of the city heart as part of its strategic plan to reinvent the suburb.

“It’s disappointing to think that the international hub of the Gold Coast is not embraced by locals, and, as destination managers, we’ve got to look at this serious issue of local pride,” said SPM chief executive Liliana Montague.

“You wouldn’t find the same trend amongst Sydney residents regarding Circular Quay, and locals are our greatest ambassadors. At the end of the day, Surfers Paradise might be an international tourist destination, but it’s also the entertainment capital of Queensland, and the heart of the Gold Coast.

“We’d certainly like to convert those that bag us the most.”

However, Sunland Group chairman and former state tourism boss Terry Jackman said he had “no problem” with the imbalance.

“I think it’s a legitimate thought,” he said.

“It’s a tourist centre, obviously. Surfers Paradise is a central part of Gold Coast tourism.

“As a local, I guess I don’t go to Surfers Paradise that much, unless it’s for business.”