New Mayor wants optimum performance from Gold Coast Tourism

New Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is to review the effectiveness of the City Council's annual $14 million in funding to Gold Coast Tourism.
Mayor Tate wants a monthly assessment of Gold Coast Tourism's performance to ensure Council-approved targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) are being met.
Gold Coast Tourism has previously been subject to a quarterly review by the Council's economic development unit but the newly appointed mayor has suggested that if the tourism body fails to achieve its Council-approved benchmarks, funding may be diverted for other economic development activities.
Gold Coast Tourism's 500 members along with Queensland Government and other revenue sources contribute funding totalling $2.7 million.
Mayor Tate suggested "Gold Coast Tourism is doing a good job but it doesn't hurt to turbo-charge it."
Gold Coast Tourism Chief Executive Martin Winter and some of the city's most influential tourism operators that sit on the corporation board have invited Mayor Tate to meet and discuss marketing, Winter stating that "the industry looks forward to the discussions which will drive new infrastructure projects."
Of immediate concern to the Council and Gold Coast Tourism are rumours that the Queensland Government may end its financially support for the Gold Coast 600 after the 2013 event.
Gold Coast tourism leaders say the October race is too important to the region's economy to be lost from its event calendar.
The Gold Coast Bulletin recently revealed that the $55 million Surfers Paradise V8 Supercars race could be relocated to Sydney or Melbourne if the Queensland Government scraps its funding.