RTO Funds Frozen as Operator Revolt Worsens
The funding for the Sunshine Coast’s tourism body, Sunshine Coast Destination Ltd, has been frozen following a revolt by exasperated tourism chiefs representing the industry from Caloundra to Noosa.
The four Sunshine Coast tourism advisory panel chairs, representing Hinterland, Caloundra, Central (Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Marcoola) and Northern (Coolum, Noosa and Cooloola), have sent the Sunshine Coast council a combined letter of no confidence in Sunshine Coast Destination Ltd.
Councillors voted unanimously at a special budget meeting on Monday to withhold $2.8 million in tourism levy funding for SCDL from July 1 until the issues were resolved.
Accomnews reported in March that the forced amalgamation of tourism bodies on the Sunshine Coast was in trouble after just eight months of operation. At the time even the Sunshine Coast mayor Bob Abbot conceded there was a need for a change of direction. Sunshine Coast Destination has been facing a tourism operator (nearly 1500 tourism industry members) revolt after coming under attack over the last three months following mounting claims that the body appointed to unite the tourism desks with funds from the $6.7 million tourism levy has failed to deliver.
The amalgamation followed the controversial and unwanted adoption by the Bligh government of the Stafford Report’s recommendations for the amalgamation of RTOs throughout the state based on cost efficiencies rather than what was best for regional promotions. Sunshine Coast RTOs agreed to work with a Stafford transition strategy to merge the main tourist organisations in the region.
The panel chairs, Bill Darby (Southern), Ian McNicol (Central), Geoff Rickard (Northern) and Mark Skinner (Hinterland) said they were “disappointed and frustrated with SCDL”. The panel chairs said it was clear SCDL was not working.
Mr Darby said the Southern Region “no longer has confidence in SCDL’s board of directors or its management, past or present”.
Mr Rickard called for the dismissal of the chief, Julie-Anne Schafer. He said the no-confidence letter “sums up exactly what we feel at a grassroots level across the coast”. Ms Schafer indicated neither she nor anyone on the board would be stepping down.
The concerns of the panel chairs and council’s response were dismissed by SCDL “acting acting” CEO Pippa McCreery and Ms Schafer. “It seems the majority of councillors still appear to be swayed by the views of the vocal minority,” Ms McCreery said. “It was once again evident today there is an inherent need to better educate and inform individual councillors.”
Mr Rickard said part of the problem was that all but one of the board did not live on the coast. He said the chair should go. “She obviously supported Michael Denton, who failed, and she supported the acting CEO.”
The original manager Michael Denton quit after just six months in the role, citing health reasons and was replaced by former managing director of consulting business Tourism Services, Ian Kean who is now on leave.
Key concerns expressed by the panel chairs are the SCDL failure to implement a membership program, an absence of industry liaison managers operating at the level anticipated, no sub-regional involvement in business planning and tactical marketing, a concern of future centralised management of visitor information centres and no transparency in budget forecasts.
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