GOLD COAST BULLETIN

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

AN amphitheatre, a “world-class” surf museum and foreshore stages could be coming to a beach near you as part of a push to double the Gold Coast’s tourist numbers by 2020.

A significant expansion of beachfront infrastructure has been proposed within six years as part of a sweeping report into the future of the tourism industry that went before Gold Coast City Council.

The city’s destination tourism management plan was developed by the council, state government and Gold Coast Tourism and provided a road map for new events and attractions for the rest of the decade.

A renewed focus on the city’s iconic beaches was given priority to

establishing an “iconic” surf museum at Kirra as well as boosting surf events.

Mayor Tom Tate said the city would investigate creating a permanent beachfront amphitheatre similar to Western Australia’s Scarborough amphitheatre in Perth for use during international surfing competition.

“The idea of placing an outdoor amphitheatre on the beach is firmly on our radar,” he said.

“The southern Gold Coast has

been neglected in the past but we want to put a surf museum down there at a major beach location such as Kirra, which I think is a natural location.

“The Gold Coast needs to constantly reinvent itself and if you don’t, you will end up looking like Adelaide.”

Cr Tate said the city hoped to double overnight visitor expenditure to $7bn a year by 2020.

In hindsight, it reached $6bn that year before the arrival of Covid-19.