Case 15: Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast Available to Purchase

The case study on Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, examines a local-level example of governance. Surfers Paradise is the literal and metaphorical heart of the Gold Coast and one of Queensland’s most visited tourist precincts. Surfers Paradise has evolved through many iterations of the market from Australian surfers in the 1960s, to high-end Japanese tourists in the 1980s and to an affordable family-friendly destination today. There has also been an evolution of the Schoolies Week festival, an end of high school celebration, which has at times tarnished the reputation of the precinct. Surfers Paradise presents a case of destination management that caters to numerous stakeholders including at times highly disparate tourist segments.