by Stephen Turner

I agree that a wider interest base (to Tourism Port Douglas Daintree and Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce) would be good. But I doubt it will happen or that agreement on where-to for Port will follow. 

But I am not negative nor a doom merchant.  We have been coming to Port since 1987, owned an apartment since 2000 and lived here permanently since 2005. 

What Port and Douglas needs is leadership.  But leadership seems unlikely to arise from a new group that gives us "There is a need to improve interconnectivity of businesses from different sectors, including the retail, service and other industry and trade groups and to facilitate promotion and marketing platforms between those groups" or "Both groups expressed commitment to addressing strategies to increase not decrease monies spent on marketing the region." 

Does that really mean anything?

Leadership is about identifying actions, and promoting them; not expressing commitments or improving interconnectivity.  It means standing out in front and maybe promoting some ideas that are unpopular with some.  There is lots of good sense in the MBS report and that offers a good basis for a bit soul searching (and perhaps some unpalatable truth telling). 

Port has drifted downmarket. 

$99 rooms, low-end shops that can be found on any high street, and late night drinking outlets are symptoms of that.  The loss of high-end gift shops, decorator outlets, smart dress shops and a dreary Marina (I know that's being changed) just drives down the product that we should be marketing and dilutes the uniqueness that Port once was.  

And empty shops are not only the fault of interstate landlords – many of them can take handy tax right-offs for empty Port properties – they don’t need to rent them cheaply as some are arguing.

The GFC is just a bit player.  Not the cause of the problem. Of course it has had an impact but it would have had a lesser one on Port if we had kept up our attraction as a high-end destination. 

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It's no use constantly lauding flights from China and Japan as potential saviours.  Those tourists do not come to Port, and will never replace European arrivals via gateways in Singapore and Bangkok. 

It’s Singapore Airlines and Thai flights we need to have back.   Cairns has knocked us off the visibility map – and even have a video on Qantas – no mention of Port.

If there is going to be  a new lobby group it needs to identify what is wrong, propose remedial action, sell this to stakeholders in Port and Douglas go for it.  A lot of namby-pamby handwringing and self-congratulation will not do it. 

Some ideas –

• For a start why is Port so mucky?  Dead palm fronds littering the place for days/weeks, broken down cars with smashed windscreens (eg by On the Inlet), litter and empty beer bottles in streets all need addressing.  It’s CRC’s job to clean up and we should hold them to it. 
• Then there is the standard of staff in shops and restaurants.  Yes there are some, many, excellent employees.  But there are also some not so good.  I hear time and again how difficult it is to recruit staff – really?  Maybe there needs to be some more intensive motivating available – how about a Chamber sponsored hour to so regularly for employees to find out just why they are so important.  
• Prices in restaurants need to look too – Melbourne prices for average food just will not do.  And why don’t restaurants offer Locals discounts?  What about a 20% off locals rate – that would stimulate a bit of trade surely. 
• Why doesn’t Port have an independent proper Tourist Information Office?
• And get the lagoon pool built. 

None of this is rocket science – the bottom line is Douglas is our home and we should be prepared to do something to improve it.  Port is a tourist place – there is no getting away from that.  Tourists are important; well heeled tourists even more so.