Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli says public transport upgrades and more hotel options are needed in the region ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
They were the mayor’s main learnings after she and four council staffers visited the Paris Games to learn about the logistics of hosting the event.
“Paris has one of the world’s leading public transport systems, so that is a very key learning. Our public transport system is very far from that and that’s what we need to work on,” she said.
“We know that we have the rail coming to Caloundra, and hopefully even further north to make that easier, and then when people get off that train we need to move them around the Sunshine Coast. That really is a priority.”
Cr Natoli said additional visitor accommodation was also needed on the Coast, and that a council proposal to provide short-term planning incentives to encourage the development of upscale hotels would help achieve this.
“We know already on the Sunshine Coast that we are behind with our hotel rooms, let alone looking forward to 2032,” she said.
“We’re already behind and we need another 2000 hotel rooms across the region – that’s now and forecast.
“What council is doing is putting out an incentive program for those hotels: only for four- and five-star hotels, only in locations where it’s already earmarked for a hotel.”
The proposed Temporary Local Planning Instrument for Accommodation Hotel Incentive Measures is currently open to public feedback, closing on October 4.
Cr Natoli said the Paris trip – which was partly funded by the council – highlighted the need for the region to be fully prepared come 2032.
“It was an absolutely incredible experience and seeing it on the ground makes it really clear what we need to do, and also the enormity of the event,” she said.
“The scale of the Olympics and Paralympics, it’s huge and it is coming to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. We do need to make sure that we’re ready.”
The Sunshine Coast is poised to host nine Olympic and Paralympic events across four locations in 2032.
Cr Natoli said hosting the Games would be an incredible opportunity for the region.
“When you see the enormity of it you also understand the incredible opportunity for our people and for our economy – that’s our business people as well,” she said.
“We are going to have the eyes of the world on us and we’re going to have a lot of people here.”
She said the 2032 Games would offer something different to Paris, as well as Los Angeles in 2028.
“What we will do will be our version of the Olympics,” she said.
“We have incredible natural surroundings here, we’ll be making the most of that. We have amazing friendly people, we’ll making the most of that as well.”
Sunshine Coast Council and Noosa Council are hosting an official welcome home celebration for returning Olympic and Paralympic athletes on Tuesday.
Cr Natoli said the event, from 10.30am to 1pm at Foundation Square Park in Maroochydore, would be a fitting tribute.
“What we are saying to our Sunshine Coast Olympians and Paralympians is ‘thank you so much, we are so excited, we are so proud, welcome home’,” she said.
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