Clockwise : The Hinterland offers both stunning landscapes and premium food and wine ; paddle boarding at Pumicestone Passage .
given we ’ re so geographically close , to me is an absolute no-brainer . Together we will do much , much better .”
While the Sunshine Coast ’ s conference capacity may not be on par with what capital cities can offer , Latchford says the ability to host large conferences mightn ’ t be too far off .
“ Clearly if we had to hold a 3000 person conference , other than a marquee situation , we can not offer what Melbourne and Sydney can .
“ But watch this space … in five years we might be able to .”
Another boost for the region ’ s tourism and events sector , Sunshine Coast Council recently secured more than $ 180 million in government funding to assist with the $ 350 million expansion of the Sunshine Coast Airport .
The redevelopment , which includes a new runway and expansion of the existing terminal , is scheduled for completion in 2020 .
“ We will continue to grow and develop domestic services and we ’ re having a very good look at a Sunshine Coast – Cairns
service , which would also open up Cairns and beyond , into Asia and other countries ,” says Latchford .
Visit Sunshine Coast is launching a new campaign this month , based on the region ’ s five key offerings : beach culture , nature , food and produce , attractions and events .
Latchford says after years of promoting the region ’ s beach culture to the world , it ’ s now focussing on drawing attention to the food and produce offering .
One of the Sunshine Coast ’ s most popular events , the Noosa Food and Wine Festival , is returning this year and after a few uncertainties surrounding it , Latchford says it has evolved into something even better than before .
“ Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council have done a fabulous job at resurrecting it and rejigging it into something far more current and relevant . We support them in all respects and continue to do so ,” he says .
Noosa is kicking goals of its own , experiencing significant growth in both domestic and international visitor numbers and visitor spend is soaring .
Noosa ’ s international visitor spend was up 73 per cent to reach $ 105.9 million for the year ending September 2016 .
Tourism Noosa CEO Damien Massingham says the continued investment by Noosa ’ s tourism industry has helped to boost Noosa ’ s reputation as a tourism and events destination .
“ Noosa has seen over $ 100 million worth of investments in the past few years with new properties and major refurbishments ,” he says .
The most recent investment was the rebranding of Sheraton Noosa Resort to become Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort , the first Sofitel-branded resort in Australia . The resort ’ s conference facilities cover more than 720sqm and include seven flexible meeting rooms and an outdoor terrace .
In April , the resort will host the Tourism Summit 2017 , an annual industry event by Tourism Noosa .
Massingham says 2017 will see Tourism Noosa review its strategy for the corporate market with a new focus on attracting the “ high-end corporate market ”.
“ Noosa is blessed to be one of those sought after destinations due to its perfect blend of nature , captivating scenery , access to fresh local food served by award winning chefs and restaurants ,” he says .
“ Coupled with venues offering state-ofthe-art facilities in breathtaking locations , Noosa offers business planners the ideal meeting place as well as a destination that clients want to extend their visit , combining work and leisure .”
24 Convention & Incentive Marketing , Issue 1 , 2017 www . cimmagazine . com