Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree chairman, Gordon Wellham, has urged members to speak up if they are unhappy with the direction of the local tourism body.

The TPDD AGM was held at Ramada Resort on Tuesday night where new directors, Natalie Johnson and Sheena Walshaw, were elected in front of around 40 members.

TPDD receives approximately $595,000 a year in funding, almost three quarters of which comes from Council, and Mr Wellham said there are no guarantees this would continue into the future.

"That $595,000 has generated, by normal accounting standards, around $20 million in exposure.

"Funding can't be taken for granted. We can't assume we're going to get it each and every year. It's not our God given right.

"After all we are the only region that's funded by Council.

"We as members and the community at large really have to continue to win support to get the funding. But more importantly, collaboratively, work together such as we do to demonstrate a return on investment."

In order to demonstrate this return, there will be a focus on the ability to measure the success or failure of campaigns.

"It's a thrust of TTNQ, they're working with James Cook University, so is TPDD with surveys to refine the actual conversions (of promotions to sales).

"There will be a lot more surveying going on to actually track 'why have you come to town, where did you read about us?' (To) track whether it was online, a newspaper advertisement, or whether it was a $99 Jetstar flight.

"If we can't measure it we're not going to manage it. That's one of my mantras.

"We've got to be cleverer at doing that as such that we can put the dollars where they count," Mr Wellham said.

While The Newsport was unable to record the AGM proceedings due to a stipulation in the organisation's constitution, Mr Wellham said yesterday that members should feel free to have their opinions heard.

"If you've got a problem or gripe come and tell us about it, don't just be polite and don't let us know where we're going wrong.

"If you don't know that it might feel like ignorant bliss but it doesn't serve anyone any good."

Mr Wellham praised the efforts of outgoing director, Lawrence Mason, after serving on the board for six years.

Two members of the executive were appointed with Gordon Wellham continuing as Chairman and Peter Martin as company secretary/treasurer.

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