Given the population figures of the City and the number of dog owners, these beaches are highly valued by the users thereof. Largely because of this phenomenon, the pattern of settlement and subsequent development of the city differs from most traditional Australian settlement and development patterns. ii. The current dune works program systematically controls introduced plants and encourages native coastal species to cover the dunes. The Gold Coast Book: An Illustrated History, Milton, Jacaranda Press. Condon, M. (2006). The Gold Coast is one of Australia's most iconic coastal cities. The Council of the City of Gold Coast also revealed that 20% of the city's total earnings come from the tourism industry. This condition has raised concerns and excited resistance around democratic participation in the local politics of place, contestations over ecological space, and decisions about land use (Stratford 2009), concerns that are central to the Southport Spit. By July 2006 (just ten months into the feasibility studies) the SOSA had collected over 20,000 signatures as part of their petition to the state government to stop development on the Spit (SOSA d). Best (1994) offers a somewhat less Euro-centric, perspective, stating it could be argued that Aborigines were fighting to save their economic resources, that is, the water-holes, demanding that the land and the people be respected. Uncontrolled conventional tourism poses potential threats to many natural areas around the world. This is almost double what the inhabitants of an average Spanish city use. Sense of Place and Urbanity: Challenges and Interventions at the Gold Coast, Proceedings from the 4th Making the Cities Liveable Conference. On the 11 February 2010 the local Federal Member of Parliament send out an email survey asking his constituents if they wanted a cruise ship terminal on the Spit, the Broadwater or neither? This email followed in the footsteps of a previous announcement by the state government, in mid-2008, of their (renewed) intention of developing a cruise ship terminal in the vicinity of the Southport Spit. At the time a Gold Coast channel nine TV news program (SOSA, c) conducted a poll with the question: Will the Beattie Government lose your vote over its push for a cruise ship terminal at The Spit? and the published result showed that 86.4 percent of respondents said YES 23In order to determine what place values, meanings and attachments users of the Spit held, we carried out 88 intercept surveys on the Spit between February and September 2007. Cartier, C. and Lew, A. Wise, P. (2006). These notions and outcomes frequently privilege and inscribe new ideas and concepts. Development controversy on the Spit ended temporality in 1992 when a newly elected Labor State Government disbanded the Waterways Authority. CiteSeerX - Document Details (Isaac Councill, Lee Giles, Pradeep Teregowda): The Gold Coast Tourism Visioning project articulates a set of core values and principles that underpin a preferred future for the sustainable prosperity of Australia's leading tourism destination in the medium to longer term (10 to 20 years). Each beach area has a Dune Restoration Works Action Plan. This can contribute to severe local air pollution. These old players include local communities and local organisations (SOSA and GECKO). Tourism can often not succeed without the environment due the fact that it relies on it (after all we cant go on a beach holiday without a beach or go skiing without a mountain, can we?). Increased construction of tourism facilities has increased the pressure on these resources and on scenic landscapes. Mayor Tate, backed by the newly elected Newman Liberal National Party State Government put out a call for expressions of interest to develop a range of tourist infrastructure including a casino, hotels and cruise ship terminal on the Spit (See SOSA, a). As a result, by the 1980s the Broadwater and the Spit were secured by the construction of groins, channel dredging and a sand bypass system. La plaisance : dveloppement touristique vs protection du littoral? It did however mark a change in decision-making processes, as did the (temporary) securing of the Spit as a free, undeveloped; public open space. In order to maintain the cultural as well as economic benefits of coastal amenities, Gold Coast beach nourishment projects have been undertaken since the mid-1970s. Importantly, the survey data indicated that the Spit environs were perceived as a safe and valuable community asset. Improper waste disposal can be a major despoiler of the natural environment. Landscapes: The Social Construction of Nature and the Environment, Rural Sociology, 59(1): 1-24. If youve been here before, youll have to agree with me when I say that it is really a piece of heaven on Earth. Tourism can cause the same forms of pollution as any other industry:Air emissions;noise pollution;solid waste and littering; sewage; oil and chemicals. At last, the cycle of conflicts seems, currently, to have stalled with the repetitive impetus of new players (develop the Spit! The development of tourism facilities can involve sand mining, beach and sand dune erosion and loss of wildlife habitats. Since the 1950s the histories of the City of Gold Coast have shown little responsibility for the past and scant obligation to future generations. Whilst developing the Asian markets adds nice icing to the cake, the Gold Coast as a destination can only thrive if it has appeal to the domestic market. It may also contribute towards aggressive behaviour when animals try to protect their young or savage for food that has become scarce as a result of tourism development. Major attractions include some of Australias best beaches, waterways, rainforests, theme parks, convention centres, sporting venues, cultural activities, diverse events, and world-class accommodation. This includes some of the most popular establishments such as Chevron Renaissance, Circle on Cavill, Orchid Residences among others. Like all cities in Australia, the City of Gold Coast was developed with the European colonisation of the country and the successive waves of migration. While many other coastal cities relied on port facilities to develop commercial and naval activities, the City of Gold Coast emerged and grew as a tourism destination. These new players, not surprisingly, reinforce the cycle of development conflict on the Gold Coast. A member of Parliament at the time in support of the governments Spit development proposal argued that The Beattie Government has a duty to provide, amongst other things, economic stability and employment opportunities for the people of this State (Smith, 2006). What is now certain is that the constantly evolving urban landscape on the Gold Coast has come about through a pattern of conflict, change and adjustment to a new norm. Since the 1950s the histories of the City of Gold Coast have shown little responsibility for the past and scant obligation to future generations. One study estimated that a single transatlantic return flight emits almost half the CO2 emissions produced by all other sources (lighting, heating, car use, etc.) There is also the continual risk of pollution from hard rubbish and stormwater that can have significant effects on water quality and wildlife. SOSA a, URL: . It is time to rethink what the Gold Coast offers and how it can maintain its position as a world class destination in a race of ever new compelling destinations around the world. This declaration triggered State legislation that called for an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) which meant the Government had direct control over the way the EIS was developed, the criteria by which it was to be assessed and it enabled other legislation to be bypassed if necessary. (1994). 2. So, domestic tourism is the bread and butter of the industry. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Dis-placed voices: sense of place and place-identity on the Sunshine Coast, Social and Cultural Geography, 8(5): 755-773. Tourism is . This is a picture taken of the insides of a dead bird. Interestingly, the Gold Coast circumstances also paralleled the emergence of an environmental prerogative in the interpretation and implementation of the Commonwealth Oceans Policy (Vince, 2008). The notion of conflict has been well documented since Marx (1959) first wrote about it in 1844 (for example see Kriesberg, 1982; Austin, 2011). It is ironic really, that tourism often destroys the very things that it relies on! Credits: Dredge D. (2008) & Pryor H. (2015). Noise pollution from aircraft, cars, buses, (+ snowmobiles and jet skis etc etc)can cause annoyance, stress, and even hearing loss for humans. There is, however, no overriding jurisdiction covering planning law enforcement in maritime areas and, this situation has led to many social and environmental conflicts. Website by Ignition Media. The Gold Coast City Council released the Gold Coast Harbour Study Issues Paper for public comment in 1998. Gold Coast City Council (2003). (1992) recognise that conflict often arises due to the differing interests of the new, pro- development, growth-oriented players or stakeholders and the old players or local communities who value the urban environment in its current and historic context, and who seek to preserve these characteristics. These changes also have more and more influenced tourists by impacting the quality of vacation experiences. 20The SOSAs objections to the state governments development proposal were founded on five key points. The completion of the Surfers Paradise Sand Backpass Pipeline construction. Hay, I. The Griffith Institute for Tourism undertook some research to better understand what Australians want when they consider a holiday on the Gold Coast. Vince, J., A. Smith, K. Sainsbury, I. Cresswell, D. Smith and M. Haward (2015). In one case a prominent Board member obtained 64 hectares on the western side of the Spit for tourism urbanisation (now the theme park Sea World). The politics of place: Understanding meaning, common ground, and political difference on the Rocky Mountain Front, Ressources marines et gestion des littoraux, Technologies and Smart Tourist Destinations: between Rhetoric and Experimentation, Anthropologie de lexprience de laccouchement dans le monde, The Caribbean against the Covid-19: A Global Crisis and Local Solutions, The Caribbean faces an Emerging International Order, Biodiversity and Management of Spaces and Natural Ressources, The Caribbean City, the Cities in the Caribbean. Values of Place: Measuring Attitudes of Community Leaders Toward Scenes from Rural Landscapes, Society & Natural Resources, 22(7): 665-673. Belsky (2003). The politics of place: Understanding meaning, common ground, and political difference on the Rocky Mountain Front, Forest Science, 49(6): 855- 866. In this post, I will explain why the environmental impacts of tourism are an important consideration and what the commonly noted positive and negative environmental impacts of tourism are.