July 20, 2017
Claims by Southern Queensland Country Tourism (SQCT) that South Burnett visitor numbers have risen are being disputed by the newly formed Visit South Burnett local tourism association.
On Wednesday, SQCT CEO Mary-Clare Power claimed Tourism Research Australia statistics showed South Burnett visitor numbers had increased by 30 per cent over the past five years, rising from 448,000 in 2012 to more than 581,000 this year.
But Visit South Burnett president Jason Kinsella said if this were true, he had to question why revenues at the region’s dams dropped by $225,000 in the past year, and why Easter visitor numbers across the region were also down on previous years.
Mr Kinsella said he believed SQCT had deliberately chosen a period mid-way between the 2011 and 2013 floods as the baseline for its study to make it appear the regional tourism organisation had achieved better results than was really the case.
He said it was well known that tourism in the South Burnett dropped away steeply after the 2011 floods.
The extended closure of the Blackbutt Range and the 2013 floods further compounded the problem.
“It could well be that the South Burnett received 581,000 visitors in 2010,” Mr Kinsella said.
“In that case, the figures would show that SQCT has achieved nothing in the past seven years.”
Mr Kinsella, who was speaking on Thursday during a break at an all-day tourism workshop in Kingaroy hosted by the South Burnett Regional Council, said Visit South Burnett had been formed by South Burnett tourism operators who were dissatisfied with SQCT.
“We would like our Council to stop funding Southern Queensland Country Tourism and direct its support to local initiatives instead,” Mr Kinsella said.
Related articles:
- SQCT Defends Tourism Record
- Council To Host Tourism Workshop
- Toowoomba To Stay In Tourism Group
- South Burnett May Leave SQC Regional Tourism Board
- Tourism Spending Breaks Record
- Tourism Revolt May Spread
- Local Voice On Breakaway Tourism Group
- Record Visitors To Tourism Region
- MP Encourages Tourism Delegates
- ‘Time Right’ For Tourism Discussion
- SQC Tourism Drops 3.3pc
I entirely agree with the “Visit South Burnett” local tourism association. Our region has been suffering from a definite downturn in visitor numbers due to a lack of exposure from those we had entrusted our tourism marketing to.
For several years now new visitors, ie “grey nomads”, have expressed their surprise to me that we had a “hidden” bit of paradise here in the South Burnett and that our part of Queensland certainly needed more exposure to publicise our attractions far more widely.
And here I was thinking that the SQCT was employed and tasked to be doing just that!
They were just one facet of the tourism market and the question begs asking as to how many other tourists in the country know of our very existence? And if not, why didn’t they?
The council contributes a very substantial sum of money to the SQCT each year and we, the ratepayers, are footing the bill. But it seems we getting very little bang for our buck in return!
In fact, I would really like to see a forensic cost analysis carried out by a independent authority into the breakdown of returns to our total investment. Just how much of that investment have we actually seen as a return in material terms? Has the community of the South Burnett as a whole seen a rise in employment or infrastructure as a result?
If the results stack up as a equivalent dollar value return or better on the original investment I, for one, would gladly eat humble pie, and large portions of it at that! However, I do believe that gastronomically I’m in no immediate danger of indigestion.
I’m positive that we, the local community, can do a far better job of selling our region to the world out there. We know about where we live and what it’s got to offer and at the same time we can ensure that we the ratepayers get value for money. We need to invest in our own future and to make sure our children have a future here. And to also ensure that our lifestyle can and will be maintained into the future.
Right now we are a little fish in a very large barrel with together with much bigger fish. And so far the bigger fish are being fed and fattened at our expense.