special interest tourism

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G o l d C o a s t C i t y C o u n c i l ’ s T o u r i s m S t r a t e g y 3 9

12. SPECIAL INTEREST TOURISM

12.1 Introduction

In Gold Coast City, and in other tourism cities throughout the

world, the aim has traditionally been to make the destination

appealing to a mass audience. While mass tourism markets

remain fundamental to the growth of Gold Coast City’s tourism

industry, the diversity of tourist experiences and increasing

competition between destinations has fuelled the need totarget particular special interest visitors.

As tourists become more sophisticated, they will increasingly

seek tourist products that fulfil their particular needs.

Accordingly, some visitors are attracted to a city primarily for

customised special interest experiences, such as education,

sport or business experiences. These special interest visitors

are often referred to as niche markets.

Typically, a niche market is small, yet profitable, group of

consumers. In a bottom-up approach, the needs of the niche

market are identified and experiences developed to meet their

specific needs. This approach will enable the Gold Coast to

capitalise on particular competitive advantages that it has inthe tourism marketplace, attract higher yielding tourists, and

promote the growth and diversification of the city’s tourism

industry.

Rationale

From a strategic perspective, the best niche markets to focus

on are those niches that:

• The qualities and characteristics of the city are aligned with the needs of the targeted niche market;

• The city has the competitive advantage over other Australian cities and internationally regarding the quantity and quality of soft (e.g., expertise, services) and hard

infrastructure (e.g., facilities, equipment) it can provide; • Represents an emerging (or growing) market;

• The barriers to growth are limited or at least manageable;

• Reflects the strategic direction of the city as a whole.

An analysis of Gold Coast City revealed that seven primary

niche markets meet these criteria. The priorities for niche

market development for Gold Coast City, include:

1. Sport tourism;

2. Business tourism;

3. Event tourism;

4. Study tourism;

5. Health and wellness tourism;

6. Youth culture tourism;

7. Marine tourism.

Some of the anticipated outcomes of developing these niche

markets include:

• Promotes investment in tourism infrastructure and product;

• Creates a multi-dimensional image of Gold Coast City as a place to visit, live, work and do business;

• Enhances awareness of elements of Gold Coast City lifestyle;

• Acts to build the profile and capability of Gold Coast City’s industries (other than tourism) to assist in diversifying the

economy.

Positioning

Competition for peoples’ discretionary time is increasing.

Recreation and leisure activities away from the home (i.e.,

tourism) must compete for this limited time with other home-

based recreation and leisure activities, such as gardening,

undertaking home improvements, using computers and

watching television. Longer working hours and mounting workpressure will promote an increasing focus on the value of this

time. As a result, short-break holidays will become the norm 63.

Thirty per cent of working Australians do not take an annual

holiday64. At the same time, there is a growing movement

within Australia towards home-related recreation and leisure

activities, in particular home renovation and improvements.

Often, these activities represent an investment in oneself (e.g.,

personal wealth creation through capital growth). From these

trends it could be inferred that perhaps a vacation for a

recreation and leisure experience may not be enough to

motivate some Australians and other visitors to come to Gold

Coast City (or other tourist destinations throughout Australia)

in the future.

The development of targeted tourism product to attract niche

markets to Gold Coast City represents an opportunity to move

beyond recreation and leisure and towards investing in oneself

through a visit to Gold Coast City. This investment may be:

• To enrich your physical, spiritual and psychological health;

• To learn something new and be educated;

• To build better business and social relationships and

networks;

• To enhance your social status;

• To improve your sense of identity.

These investments will be integrated into the strategic

planning in the development of each of the niche markets. In

the following section, each of the niche markets are introduced

and some key points of the interest are given. Subsequently,

an action plan for developing these niche markets is outlined.

12.2 Coordination and Implementation

The development of special interest tourism is a collaborative

effort between the Directorates of Community Services and

Economic Development and Major Projects, with other areas of

Council providing assistance when necessary. The Branches

that are principally responsible for the special interest tourism

development include: Economic Development, Tourism and

Community and Recreation Services. The role and responsible

of each of these branches are defined in Table 9. Projects thatbuild special interest tourism are also reflected in Council’s

Economic Development Strategy 2010.

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Table 9: Council’s Special Interest Tourism Areas

12.3 Sport Tourism

The convergence of sporting pursuits and tourist endeavours

has provoked an escalating interest, recognition and

understanding of this market. This has seen the emergence of

the niche market referred to as sport tourism. Sport tourismcan be defined as:

All forms of active and passive involvement in sporting

activity, participated in casually or in an organised way for

non-commercial or business/commercial reasons, that

necessitate travel away from home and work locality 65.

There are three principal types of sport tourism, including:

• Active sport tourists - those who actively participate in a

sporting experience as a tourist;

• Event sport tourists - those who attend the event to be a

spectator;

• Nostalgic sport tourists - those who visit a place to pay

homage to sport (such as an iconic stadium or hall of fame)66.

For the purpose of this strategy, the sport tourism niche

market development will concentrate on active sport tourism.

Event sport tourists will be incorporated into the overall

development of the event tourism niche (refer to Section 12-5);

and given that Gold Coast City does not have a competitiveadvantage in the nostalgic sport tourist market, it has been

decided that this segment of the sport tourism market will not

be a focus within the context of this strategy.

In the active sport tourism arena, there are three areas of

focus for sport tourism development in Gold Coast City. These

areas are: training camps, adventure sports and golf tourism.

Activities that maximise

short- and long-term

economic development and

international relations

outcomes for Gold Coast City

from special interest tourism.

Activities that maximiseshort- and long-term tourism

outcomes for Gold Coast City

from special interest tourism.

Provision and management

of community and

recreational facilities and

services for special interest

tourism.

Economic Development

Tourism

Community

and Recreation Services

• Industry development activities.

• New investment attraction programs.

• Marketing the associated industry nationally

and internationally.

• Creating commercial outcomes for local

businesses.

• Maximising trade relations and international

networks for Gold Coast City through

special interest visitors.

• Integrating tourism activities into thespecial interest visitor’s experience to

increase visitor spend (yield).

• Recognising opportunities for the tourism

industry’s involvement in special interest

tourism.

• Coordinating with the Gold Coast Tourism

Bureau, particularly to optimise marketing

and publicity opportunities.

• Visitor satisfaction and activities that

promote quality visitor experiences.

• Facility and event management.

• Asset management and usage.

• Operational planning and logistics.

• Events and festival coordination.

• Encourage local industry sponsorship.

Branch Responsibility Examples of Activities involving Special Interest Tourism




12.3.1 Training Camps

Gold Coast City is increasingly becoming renowned as a sport

training camp destination. The city provides the ideal training

location due to its:

• Wealth of world-class training facilities;• Exceptional sport medicine services;

• Experienced training camp management expertise;

• Strategic location in the Asia-Pacific region;

• Air access throughout Australia and to international cities;

• Good transportation networks in the city reducing travelling

time between the accommodation and training venues;

• World-class beaches, sub-tropical rainforest and an urban

city;

• Tourist experiences for leisure and recreation;

• Quantity and quality of accommodation;

• Clean food, air and water;• Lifestyle; and

• Warm, sunny sub-tropical climate (particularly for the

southern states of Australia and the Northern Hemisphere

during the winter).

Some of the training camps that could be attracted to Gold

Coast City include:

• Pre-event camps;

• Intensive getaways for athletes or teams;

• Pre- and post- season bonding camps;• Specialized coaching camps (for elites, juniors, country,

recreation);

• Fantasy camps; and

• Event-associated clinicsl67.

S o u r c e : R u n a w a y B a y S p o r t S

u p e r C e n t r e

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S o ur c e : R un a w a y B a y S p or t S u p e

r C e n t r e

Gold Coast City is increasingly becoming renowned as a sport training camp destination




In 2000, Gold Coast City hosted several pre-Olympic Games

training camps, including the entire British Olympic team.

Council played a significant role in attracting and facilitating

these camps. In the lead-up to the Olympic Games, the city

hosted 1,300 athletes and officials. This equated to

approximately 40,000 bed nights and provided an estimated

$15 million influx into the local economy.

In addition to the immediate economic impact, these campscan also provide media exposure for the city and offer the

opportunity to create business relationships through the

sporting delegates and administration. An upshot of these

relationships is a boost to tourism and the stimulation of new

investment, trade and business relocation to the city. These

outcomes were highlighted by the Sydney Olympic Games

experience.

The success of Gold Coast City’s experience in the sport

training camp business has positioned the city at the forefront

of the industry. It also has the potential to create a lasting

legacy from the city’s investment in the pre-Olympic Games

training camps. As identified in the Council’s Economic

Development Strategy 2010, Gold Coast City should aim tobecome globally recognised as a world-class sports and

training location. The development of Gold Coast City’s

sporting organisations and infrastructure and a coordinated

approach will be fundamental to sustainable outcomes in

training camp development.

The aim of Our Tourism City is capitalise on the city’s position

as a leader in the business of training camps to grow this potential lucrative market.

Key Opportunities

Two major international events will be held in Australia in the

next five years, which represent a significant opportunity to

attract pre-event training camps (and as an extension sport

fans) to Gold Coast City. These events include:

• Rugby World Cup to be held throughout Australia in 2003.

The 2003 Rugby World Cup is expected to generate more

than $800 million in economic activity with 40,000 inbound

tourists expected to descend on Australial68.

• XVIII Commonwealth Games to be hosted by Melbourne in

2006. It is estimated that this event will increase Australia’s

GDP by $497 million69.

12.3.2 Adventure Tourism

Gold Coast City’s climate and landscape provides an excellent

environment for undertaking adventure tourism. Adventure

tourists seek experiences that involve a certain element of risk

or danger. Demand for adventure tourism products is high in

niches of domestic and international tourist markets. Some of

these products include:

• Scuba diving and snorkeling,

• Surfing (including wave surfing, windsurfing and kite

surfing),

• Hot-air ballooning,

• Four-wheel driving and performance driving;

• Deep-sea fishing,

• Freestyle BXM and skating boarding,

• Rock climbing,

• Kayaking and rafting,

• Horse riding,

• Sky diving,

• Mountain bike riding,

• Parasailing, and

• Bungee jumping.

Source: Holden Performance Driving Centre




Tapping into the adventure tourism market offers the

opportunity to make the city more appealing to visitors who

primarily seek adventure tourism experiences. Other

destinations, most notably Queenstown in New Zealand, has

captured this niche market through product development

linked with strategic marketing campaigns to elevate their

destination’s association as the ultimate adventure tourist

playground. As highlighted by the Queenstown example,

overtime this niche market has the potential to develop into amainstream tourism market for Gold Coast City.

Gold Coast City has the distinct advantage in this niche market

due to its ability to deliver adventure tourism product in a diverse array of landscapes - from ocean adventures to forest adventures to purpose-built adventures (such as high rope

courses, bungy jumping, and performance driving centres).

Unlike many other adventure tourism destinations, all of these adventure tourism experiences are on offer proximal to the

major accommodation and entertainment hub of Gold Coast City’s coastal strip. This combination offers adventure tourists

a destination distinct from any other in the world.

12.3.3 Golf Tourism

Golf course development and the image of Gold Coast City are

intimately intertwined. The city offers an abundance of golf

facilities for the golf tourist. There are approximately 28 golf

courses within Gold Coast City. The size and standard of golf

facilities range from 9-hole short courses to 36-hole

international standard courses. However, research into this

industry suggests that an imbalance between supply and

demand has resulted in financial difficulty for this industry70.

Research into the desires of international tourists highlights

the existence of golf aficionado markets, particularly the

Japanese and Korean markets, which would like to play on

Gold Coast City. In these markets, the opportunity to stay at agolf resort is desirable71. Likewise, there is also a strong

demand for those who have a special interest in taking a golf

holiday in the domestic tourist market. This interest is evident

as 8.2 per cent of Australians selected golf as the most

popular recreational and sport activity in a recent study72.

Gold Coast City’s supply of facilities and its established

reputation as a golf tourism destination represents a readily identifiable competitive advantage.

Points of Interest

• Sport was the primary motivation for 9.4 million (or 6 per

cent) of daytrips and 73.8 million (or 5 per cent) of

domestic overnight trips in Australia73.

• In general, the typical Australian sport tourist is male, agedbetween 15-24 years, from an upper income household that

earns $78,000 or more per year 74.

• The typical sport tourist is more likely to travel with friends

and relatives (with or without children)75.

• On average, Australian sport tourists generate a higher yield

per night than visitors in general76.

• Sport has a high level of public interest - 6 of the Top 10

Television Programs for 2001 were sporting programs77.

12.4 Business Tourism

Australia has become an international leader in the convention

and international business meeting market. In the international

arena, Australia is in the top 5 countries for hosting meetings 78.Business travel to attend a conference, meeting or incentive

event is an increasingly important market for Gold Coast City.

In 2001, the convention market was valued at $1.6 billion to

Queensland’s economy. The Gold Coast share of this market

was 39 per cent, or $606 million, for the same period79. The

construction of the $118 million Gold Coast Convention and

Exhibition Centre has put business tourism in the spotlight, as

it provides a vital impetus for growth in business tourism for

Gold Coast City.

Historically, business tourism in Gold Coast City has

predominantly been focused on the domestic market. In

2001/02, business tourists represented 10 per cent of alldomestic overnight visitors to the Gold Coast (or over 350 000

visitors). At the national level, domestic business travel is 20

per cent of the overall market. The Gold Coast also attracted

336,000 business daytrip visitors for the same period, which

represent 6 per cent of the total Gold Coast daytrip market 80.

In the international business travel market, business visitors to

the Gold Coast only represent 4 per cent of the total market.

In other words, 35,000 of the total 873,650 overnight

international visitors in 1999/2000 were business tourists. From

a national perspective, international business tourists represent

13 per cent of the total tourist market. However, in recent

times the Gold Coast’s international business tourist market

has expanded, with a 39 per cent grow rate in 1999/2000. Incomparison, at the state and national levels growth rates have

been at 20 and 24 per cent respectively over the same

period81.

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Source: Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

Traditionally, business travel to the Gold Coast has been at the

small end of the market; on average, a typical meeting and

incentive delegations consists of approximately 122 delegates82.

In 2002, the largest meeting and convention facilities in the

city catered for less than 2,500 delegates in a theatre-style

arrangement. With the opening of the Gold Coast Conventionand Exhibition Centre mid-2004, Gold Coast City will have

facilities to cater for meetings or conferences as large as 6,000

delegates in an auditorium-style arrangement. This

development represents an enormous potential to expand Gold

Coast City’s business tourism market.

Traditionally, Gold Coast City has been seen as Australia’s

favourite holiday destination. The development of business tourism and the opening of the Gold Coast Convention and

Exhibition Centre represents an opportunity to add another dimension to the city’s image. The promotion and leveraging of international and national business leaders through

conventions, meetings and incentive stays in the city offers the

opportunity to establish Gold Coast City as the strategic location for business and investment in Australia. This

development has significant implications for growing the local economy and diversifying the city’s economical base.

In the conception and construction stages, Council has played

a strategic role in the town planning of the Gold Coast

Convention and Exhibition Centre. As the Centre moves toward

completion, the challenge is to provide a strategic framework

to ensure its potential is optimised. At the same time, it is also

important that the existing meeting, incentive and conference

business throughout Gold Coast City continues to be nurtured

to ensure it also meets its potential.

Points of Interest • Business tourists tend to stay for a short period of time

(staying on average 11 nights) than holiday and VFR tourists,

but tend to spend more per night than any other tourist

market83.

• The average nightly expenditure per visitor for a business

tourist was $351 compared to $195 for holiday visitors and

$109 for VFR visitors84.

• On average, Japanese business tourists tend to spend the

most per night ($486), and New Zealand business tourists

tend to spend the least ($273)85.

• Overall, 55 per cent of a business tourist’s total

expenditure comprised of food, drink and accommodation86.

12.5 Event Tourism

Over the past two decades the profile of event tourism has

escalated. Particular attention has been given to optimising the

economic benefits of these events for the host community.

Today, competition for events is fierce, as cities compete on a

national and international stage to build their event calendars.The style and type of events may vary from sport events to

arts and high culture events to lifestyle events. An event can

be a fair, festival, meeting or carnival of limited duration.

A Focus on Hallmark Events

As shown in Table 10, there are three principal types of events:

mega, hallmark and community-based events. As part of the

development of this strategy, each event type was consideredin the context of Gold Coast City according to its tourism

potential combined with environmental, social and economic

factors. Of particular importance was Gold Coast City’s

infrastructure, which at the time of writing this strategy, did

not have the capacity to host large spectator-based events.

Possible exceptions include the Gold Coast Honda Indy and

events at the Gold Coast Stadium at Carrara. Yet, the city does

have a large portfolio of participation-based infrastructure, such

as indoor and outdoor sporting facilities, beaches and

waterways facilities, outdoor stages and entertainment areas.

From this perspective, it was decided that the city’s

competitive advantage in event tourism was in the

participation-based hallmark event market. Accordingly, thefuture direction of Our Tourism City is focused on developing a

portfolio of hallmark events.

The Role of Community Events

Community events continue to play an important role in the

events calendars for the local residents, as these events

celebrate features of the community’s way of life and may

contribute to community building and well being. It is also

recognised that a community event may evolve to become a

hallmark event in the future.

Why Not Mega Events?

The development of a mega events strategy does not fit the

infrastructure profile of Gold Coast City at the time of writingthis strategy. Accordingly, these events were precluded from

this discussion, but remain a potential opportunity for Gold

Coast City in the future if the necessary infrastructure was built

in the city.




• Massive in size and scale

• Affects the entirecommunity within a

country or continent

• Requires enormous

resources

• Usually occurs only once

at that location

• Large in size and scale

• Significant for a

community in a city or

region

• Require considerable

resources

• One time or recurring

• Smaller in size and scale

• Celebrates features of the

community’s way of life

and may contribute to

community well being

• Can be one time events,

but usually recurring

Mega event

Hallmark event

Community event

• Olympic Games

• World Cup Soccer • Commonwealth Games

• Gold Coast Honda Indy 300

• Gold Coast Marathon

• Gold Schoolies Festival

• Australian Surf Life SavingChampionships

• Magic Millions Racing Carnival

• Gold Coast Greek Festival

• A la Carta in the Park

• Beenleigh Cane Festival

• Gold Coast Film Fantastic Festival

Type Features Examples

Adapted from Douglas et al., 2001, p. 357.

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Table 10: The Typology of Events




Hallmark events have become paramount to tourism growth

strategies. Hosting these events provides both short- and long-

term outcomes for a city, including:

• Visitor spending during the event has a significant impact

on the local economy;

• Media coverage and cross-promotion opportunities with the

event and its sponsors has the potential to increase

awareness of the city and build its image. This hasimplications for visitation outside of the event period; and

• Relationships formed via the event offers the opportunities

to build networks and alliances for future local economy

development initiatives.

Over the past decade, Gold Coast City has been relatively

successful in attracting and hosting events in the city. Council

provides significant financial and in-kind sponsorship to host

many of these events in the city. In 2002, some of the

hallmark events hosted on Gold Coast City included: the Gold

Coast Honda Indy 300, Gold Coast Marathon, Gold Coast

Schoolies Festival, Magic Millions Racing Carnival, Quicksilver

Pro, Ladies Master Golf, Royal Pines Hardcourt Ladies Masters,

Pan Pacific Masters Games, Australian Surf Life Saving

Championships, and Australian University Sport North Games.

As this list suggests, Gold Coast City has a strong history in

successful attracting and hosting events in the city.

Gold Coast Events Advisory CommitteeIn 1997, Council established the Gold Coast Events Advisory

Committee (GCEvAC). Its charter is to:

Advise the Council of appropriate strategies to attract,

support and develop a range of events and to assess proposals for sponsorship (both cash and in-kind) of events.

In 2001, a review of Council and GCEvAC’s approach to events

was undertaken. Several recommendations were generated

from this review. In summary, some of the key aspects of these

recommendations included:

• A more aggressive, proactive strategy to initiating and

developing event tourism opportunities is needed.

• Council has excellent event management expertise, but lacksthe resources to effectively implement a strategic approach

to event attraction and leveraging event-related

opportunities (such as economic, media, and tourism

opportunities).

• The Council has not yet prepared a specific formal ‘events

strategy’ to guide its future endeavors. There is a lack of

formal strategic vision for the types of events the GCEvAC

would like to attract to the region leading to what can be

perceived as a disjointed program and no clear

understanding of what events Gold Coast City would like to

target or should target given the city’s overall objectives.

• Lack of coordination and integration across Council

directorates in relation to event tourism.

As these findings indicate, a more strategic, coordinated

approach to bidding for, sponsoring and leveraging events is

needed. In collaboration with Queensland Events Corporation,

the aim is to develop an events strategy that cultivates a

portfolio of hallmark events that reflects the strategic direction

of the city and provides the momentum to attract and maintain

events that value-add to the local economy and the community

aligned with GCEvAC’s charter.

Central to this discussion is the issue of investment. While

hosting events represents a significant opportunity and benefit

for Gold Coast City, the limited resources in this area are

hindering Gold Coast City’s ability to capitalise on thispotential.

Council’s long-term support for hallmark events in this city through the provision of dedicated resources and an on-going commitment to supporting these events is imperative to

successfully attracting, managing and leveraging the economic and tourism benefits from hosting these events in the city.

Points of Interest

Every year the hallmark events attract large numbers of

domestic and international visitors to the city. For example, the

Gold Coast Marathon attracted 9,500 competitors in 2002,

including 1,200 international competitors (700 of whom

travelled from Japan)87.

The ANZ Ladies Masters is one of the world’s most watched

women’s golf tournaments88.




12.6 Study Tourism

Gold Coast City is favourably positioned to become a leading

study tourist destination for international students in the Asia

– Pacific region. Gold Coast City offers an ideal environment to

study with quality education providers, pristine natural assets

and attractions, a hospitable community, a safe environment, a

warm climate and a world-class infrastructure and support

services. These factors are some of the reasons why Gold

Coast City attracts almost 6,000 visitors each year for a formal

education experience.

Study tourism includes travel to undertake a university course,

short-course or recreational course. Gold Coast City has a

wealth of education infrastructure to attract and host thesevisitors. The city boasts four university campuses, one of

Australia’s largest TAFE colleges and a number of quality

registered training organisations. Travel to study vocational

courses in English language, business, tourism and hospitality

offered in Gold Coast City are popular educational experiences

for study tourists.

Gold Coast Education and Training Network

The Gold Coast Education and Training

Network (GCETN) was established in 1993.

This network of education and training

providers in Gold Coast City provides an

avenue for cooperative marketing to

position Gold Coast City as a preferred destination for

education and training. One of the roles of this network is to

foster the growth of study tourism. A key objective of theGCETN’s business plan is to increase the number of overseas

students studying in Gold Coast City from 5,600 full-time

equivalent (FTE) students that contributed approximately $35

million in 2001 to 12,000 FTE students that contribute $200

million by 2011. In this plan, it was recognised that this growth

would have direct and flow-on effects for the local economy.

Council remains a key stakeholder in the Gold Coast Education and Training Network and continues to play a central role in

the long-term growth of the education sector - and by extension study tourism.

For further information on the Gold Coast Education and

Training Network go to: www.studygoldcoast.org.auPoint of Interest

• Students have the longest length of stay of all visitors,

usually the length of the university semester.

• In 2001, Gold Coast City hosted over 5,600 full-time

equivalent (FTE) students that contributes approximately

$35 million to the local economy89.

• Over half of the FTE overseas students studying in Gold

Coast City attend Bond University, Griffith University or Gold

Coast Institute of TAFE90.

• Educational fees for international students that study in

Australia are required to be paid in-full and up-front.

Consequently, international students have the highest level

of expenditure per person of all tourists. In 1999, an

international student studying in Australia spent on average

$11,520 per visit, with Singaporean student spending the

most ($14,810 per visit)91.

• Markets in the Asia-Pacific region are particularly attracted to

attending Australian universities.

• Friends and relatives often visit students during their time

studying in the city, which is often referred to as the VFR

market. Targeting the VFR market is an additional

opportunity for growing Gold Coast City’s tourism industry

via study tourism.

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12.7 Health and Wellness TourismTravelling for health is one of the fastest growing sectors of

the tourism industry92. This niche market can include travel to:

• Make the most of the health benefits from being in a

particular environment or climate;

• Revitalise the body and mind (such as lose weight, improve

fitness, stress management);

• Relax and unwind (such as pampering and treatments);

• Utilitise the health infrastructure and services available (such

as specialised surgery) for a specific medical reason;

As this list indicates, visitors do not need to be ill to be a

health and wellness tourist. In fact, most people who travel for

health reasons seek self-improvement health treatments and

services. Private health insurers are actively encouraging their

customers to seek preventative health products and

treatments. These factors will continue to provide an impetus

for growing this niche market.

This strategy will focus on facilitating the development of four

primary types of spa products:

• Day Spa - a spa offering a variety of professionally

administered spa services to clients on a daily-use basis.

• Destination Spa -a spa whose sole purpose is to provideguests with lifestyle improvement and health enhancement

through professionally administered spa services, physical

fitness and training courses on a full board, live-in basis.

• Resort/Hotel Spa - a spa located within a resort or hotel,

providing professionally administered spa services, fitness

and wellness programs and spa cuisine menu choices.

• Medical Spa - a spa set up by an individual or group of

medical and spa professionals, and whose primary purpose

is to provide comprehensive medical and wellness care in an

environment that integrates spa services,

conventional and complementary therapies and

treatments93.

Gold Coast City is home to numerous day spas, resort/hotel

spas and destination spas. Collectively, they offer a wide range

of activities and treatments to motivate, relax, rejuvenate and

pamper the mind, body and spirit.

In addition, Gold Coast City’s health and medical services are

rapidly growing and its reputation for medical technology and

research is expanding. Gold Coast City has public and private

hospitals and a wealth of specialist services. These assetscould be used to grow medical spa tourism.

The city is also the home of the Australian College of Natural

Medicine and several universities, which have health-related

courses on offer. These institutions will provide the intellectual

capital and technical skills to support the development of the

health and wellness industry in Gold Coast City. Given the city’s

infrastructure and intellectual capital, health and wellness

tourism represents a significant opportunity for Gold Coast City.

Council’s Economic Development Strategy 2010 recognises the

need to increase the number of health tourists in the city. The

Economic Development Branch has been active in this area,

particularly with medical tourism. The development of this

niche market is aligned with the strategic direction of becoming an innovative city and has significant potential for

growth in visitor yield, length of stay and visitor numbers for

Gold Coast City.

The aim of Our Tourism City is to develop the spa/retreat

industry so that Gold Coast City becomes the leading Australian destination for health and wellness tourism.

Points of Interest

• According to the ATC, the demand in European markets for

health and wellness holidays has increased for those who

are making their second or third visit to Australia. Growth in

the numbers of international visitors in the active older

traveller, and young, well-paid professionals segments hasfuelled this growth94.

• In 2001, International SPA Association conducted a survey of

US day spa, destination and resort/hotel spa users95. It

revealed that:

> The demographic profile of spa users is:

• Married with no children under the age of 18 living in

the household;

• College graduates or higher;

• Full-time employed;

• Average ages for day spas is 41 years, resort/hotel spa

is 44 years, and destination spa is 45 years;

• Average annual household incomes are: day spa -

$96,000, resort/hotel spa - $122,000, and destinationspa - $125,000.

> Spa treatments and atmosphere/surroundings were

ranked the most important factors in all three studies.

> Massage, facial, nail and hair treatments were the most

popular activities. Personal growth classes and

activities ranked as the least important.

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12.8 Youth Culture Tourism

From its fun and exciting branding to the annual pilgrimage of

youth to the city for Schoolies Festival, Gold Coast City has a

strong association with youth culture. Those who particularly

identify with, and are attracted to, a youth culture experience

include: school leavers, university students, young professional

singles and couples, and backpacker markets. Within the

overall Gold Coast domestic market, approximately one-third of

domestic overnights visitors are young singles andyoung/midlife couples (with no children). Similarly, within the

overall Gold Coast international market, approximately one

third of overnight international visitors to the Gold Coast are

aged 15-29 years. As these statistics indicate, the Gold Coast

is an attractive destination for young singles and couples. The

success at targeting this market can be illustrated in looking at

other international resort destinations, such as Cancun in

Mexico and Fort Lauderdale in the United States of America.

These destinations attract large numbers of youth tourists each

year, particularly for their end of year celebrations (known as

Spring Break in the US) for university students and high school

leavers.

The youth culture tourism market represents several opportunities for Gold Coast City as the ultimate place to

celebrate a particular event (such as graduation), or more broadly, a popular "in-crowd" destination where young people can socialise with other young people while on holiday.

Gold Coast City has a distinct advantage in this niche market

as it already boasts a strong association with this market and

has a reputation as a place where Australian youth celebrate

leaving high school. The diversity and abundance of its

daytime tourist activities, entertainment and nightlife, beaches

and resort landscape, and retail and dining opportunities

differentiates Gold Coast City from other cities in Australia, and

has the potential to position Gold Coast City on the

international stage as a destination attractive to youth tourists.The concentration of accommodation in the Surfers Paradise-

Broadbeach precinct also provides the opportunity to locate

these visitors within close proximity of each other, whilst also

being located adjacent to the beach within a major

entertainment and nightlife precinct.

The Gold Coast also has an emerging backpacker market.

The Gold Coast attracts over 110,000 overnight domestic and

international backpacker visitors. The majority of backpackers

on the Gold Coast are international visitors to Australia,

representing 73 per cent of the Gold Coast’s backpacker

market. The remaining 27 per cent of the total backpacker

visitors are Australians. Queensland is second to NSW in terms

of international backpacker visitation, attracting two-thirds of

all international backpackers to Australia. Yet, the Gold Coast

only attracts approximately one in five backpackers who visitAustralia96. This indicates that there is an opportunity to grow

the Gold Coast’s share of the backpacker market and better

position the city as a leading Australian backpacker

destination.

Clearly, coordinated action needs to be taken to effectively

capture the youth market. Through strategically managing the

outcomes, there is an opportunity to leverage the city’s

established reputation as a “fun” and “exciting” place to visit

in order to maximise the benefits (and minimise the negatives)

for Gold Coast City’s tourism industry and local residents.

Points of Interest

• Gold Coast City attracts almost 20,000 visitors to itsSchoolies Festival. Intrastate Schoolies spend on average

$88 per night and interstate Schoolies spend on average

$120 per night. Overall, the Gold Coast Schoolies Festival is

responsible for approximately 117,000 bed nights and

contributes approximately $12.5 million directly into the

Gold Coast economy97.

• In general, backpackers have the highest average length of

stay and the second highest (behind students) average

expenditure per visit of all visitors to Australia. German and

USA backpackers have the highest average expenditure per

night at $131 and $123 respectively98.


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...within the overall Gold Coast international market,

approximately one third of overnight international visitors to the Gold Coast are aged 15-29 years




12.9 Marine Tourism

Typical of Queensland’s coastal communities, Gold Coast City

has a strong boating fraternity, particularly amongst

recreational users. Data from the Queensland Recreational

Boating Survey99 suggests that the Gold Coast has an above

average boating usage with a preference towards motorised

vessels (i.e. speed boats, cruisers). This outcome is not

surprising given the good access to quality, safe boating

grounds within the city’s waterways (particularly throughout the

Broadwater), and the availability of supporting infrastructure

(e.g., marinas, moorings, jetties and boat ramps).

Council has been active in promoting Gold Coast City as a

marine tourist destination, particularly in the Super Yacht

market. Whilst the infrastructure requirements are considerable

to attract Super Yacht owners and builders to Gold Coast City,

the city has already begun to establish itself as a Super Yacht

destination.

Development of the Gold Coast Broadwater and the continued growth of the marine industry in the city, combined with a proactive approach to marine tourism development, will

strengthen the attraction of marine tourists to Gold Coast City.

Key opportunity

Fishing remains the predominate activity for boaties (75 per cent of all boat usage) reflecting the continuing popularity of

this recreational pastime. According to the Australian Bureau

of Statistics 2000 Census, “fishing” ranked the 6th most

popular recreational activity for all Australians. The activity has

been remarkably consistent in terms of its appeal amongst

Australians, a factor reinforced through the media popularity of

a wide variety of fishing programs, from news reports through

to the fishing personality - Rex Hunt.

Points of Interest

• 75 per cent of all Gold Coast boat usage revolves around

fishing.

• There are currently five fishing shows on free to air

television in Australia.

• American and European based pay TV have channels entirely

dedicated to fishing.

• Estimates suggest that owners and operators of Super

Yachts spend about 10 per cent of the value of their yacht

each year on berthing, supplies, refurbishments, etc.

• The average price of a Super Yacht is US$20 million.

12.10 Actions

Each of the niche markets identified are at a different stages of

development, have varied developmental needs, and therefore

required individual consideration. Yet, the approach to strategicplanning to develop each market is largely very similar.

In general, the plan of action to develop tourism product to

target each of these special interest groups (or niche markets)

includes:

Stage 1: Research and analyse. Scope the current situation

(e.g., current market to Gold Coast, internal and external

resources and capabilities), explore the market potential

and future trends, identifying opportunities for product

development, and develop case studies of market leaders.

Stage 2: Develop a Strategic Action Plan and Appoint Coordinator . Refine the concept through a consultative,

strategic thinking process, and then develop a plan for

action.

Stage 3: Execute. Execute the plan and monitor its

implementation.

Stage 4: Monitor and review. The successes and failures of

this process will be monitored and reviewed, and the

lessons taken forward to future projects.




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Immediate actions

Aligned with this process, the immediate actions required to

progress the development of each niche market are outline

below. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of

Council’s actions for 2002-2007, instead it provides the initial

steps to progress the development of these niche markets.

Future actions will be outlined in the annual Gold Coast

Tourism State of the Industry Report.

Sport tourism

• Create a database of existing sporting infrastructure in the

city and potential leads for training camp business, and

then use it to inform and implement action plans to: (1)

capitalise on the 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2006

Commonwealth Games; and (2) attract training camps to

Gold Coast City in general.

• Work with Sport and Recreation Queensland (SRQ) to

identify the city’s sport infrastructure priorities, and then

seek their assistance in tailoring applications for SRQ’s

facility funding program, and investigate opportunities to

integrate new and existing sport infrastructure into a

training camp strategy.

• Review the established adventure tourism operators in the

city and establish an Adventure Tourism Working to engage

in business building activities with this cluster to support

the development of adventure tourism product reflective of

Gold Coast City’s natural environments and with high regard

to the ecological sensitive of these areas in which these

activities may be potentially undertaken.

• Work with the Gold Coast Golf Association to improve the

competitiveness of Gold Coast City as a golf tourism

destination.

Business tourism

• Develop a profile of business tourism and review the

strategic position of Gold Coast City in the business tourismmarketplace, and then inform industry about the

opportunities to capitalise on this emerging market.

• Work towards cooperative outcomes among the Gold Coast

Convention Bureau, Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition

Centre, Gold Coast Airport and Council when preparing bids

for domestic and international conferences and to develop

tourism product and create a place that appeals to the

business tourism market.

• Build linkages between business visitors and the growing

interest in health and wellness products.

Event tourism

• Review the current event calendar, identify opportunities to

build a portfolio of events for the city that reflects the city’s

branding and fills the gaps in the events calendar, and then

engage in a proactive event attraction/development strategy

to reflect the desired event portfolio.

• Re-evaluate Council’s event sponsorship policy and

implement a centralised sponsorship policy for all Council

sponsored events (including sporting events, business

meetings and conferences, community events, etc.) to

ensure that Council maximises its return-on-investment in

these events and encourages private sector sponsorship of

events.

• Implement programs that maximise the economic impact

during the event period (particularly for small business),

optimises media coverage, publicity, and cross-promotion

opportunities from the event, and leverages business and

trade opportunities in the longer term.

Study tourism

• Continue to provide assistance to GCETN through support

for its business plan and subcommittees’ activities.

• Identify opportunities to export education both domestically

and internationally, and strengthen linkages between

training and education institutions and the city’s sister

cities.

• Investigate the expected and actual experience of international students who study in Gold Coast City, and

then implement programs to address any disparities to

ensure positive word-of-mouth about the city and its

welcoming community.

• Develop a program that highlights the wealth of activities in

Gold Coast City and surrounding regions to international

students and their friends and relatives to create a quality

recreational and educational experiences, while also

optimising visitor spending (i.e., economic impact) in the

city.

Health and wellness tourism

• Survey the existing health and wellness tourism providers to

identify avenues for business development and workingcollectively.

• Work with the Department of State Development to link

health and wellness tourism providers to other related-

industries based in Gold Coast City, in particular

neutraceuticals, and health and natural therapy training

providers.

Youth culture tourism

• Analyse data on youth culture values, interests and trends

in order to identify tourism product and experiences in Gold

Coast City that would be of interest to youth culture

tourism.

• Identify opportunities to continue to develop the Gold CoastSchoolies Festival as an enjoyable and memorable, yet safe,

experience in the city.

• Maintain a strategic focus on international backpackers as a

significant element of the youth market.

• Investigate the potential to link youth culture tourism

development to activities and entities involved in the

business of the beach (e.g., surf wear and surf equipment).

Marine tourism

• Work with the Gold Coast Tourism Bureau and Tourism

Queensland to develop a coordinated Super Yacht Attraction

Strategy. This planning will be aligned with Queensland

Government’s Cruise Shipping Plan.• Analyse the economic viability and tourism outcomes of

construction a cruise ship terminal in the city.

• Assess the needs of recreational boating in the city and

develop a management plan that ensures sustainable

outcomes are achieved.

special interest tourism

Documents