Rural Towns Need the Tourist Dollar

The issue of tourism in the Maranoa region was featured as a subject of importance at the Candidate meeting on 17th April in Roma, and yet in Mitchell the spa remains closed.

This tourist season at least four busloads of tourists have cancelled their stay in Mitchell because the Spa is not opened. This affects the whole town, the businesses, employment, and the morale of the whole community. At a time when the people of Mitchell are at their lowest ebb, the closure of the spa only increases the feeling of despair that the community is experiencing.

Council has said that tourism is important for the economic growth of the region. Council has spent  good money on having a consultant visit all the towns to discuss street enhancement and produce a Placemaking Plan. Plans are one thing, but to not continue and maintain the existing tourist attractions that currently work for communities, such as the spa, makes such consultations a waste of time and money.

Prior to the amalgamation, Mitchell had a steady flow of tourists, and the tourist dollar moving through the town. Four years on and the town is struggling to keep travellers in the town or to have them even stop. This has affected many small businesses in the community of Mitchell. The closure of the Mitchell Laundromat this coming Friday is yet another example of how this community will lose on the tourist dollar. Nowhere for travellers to wash clothing makes a stay overnight not worth the effort.

Tourism information has not been kept up to date for the region, the Council Tourist book still advertises 2 nights free. Since the council leased the caravan park this service has not been available to the traveller. Advertising that it is available leaves bad feelings – not reflected on the council, but on the community of Mitchell.

Camping available at the showgrounds costs $24 – for little or no facilities. Enterprise is one thing, but an enterprise that costs the whole community is another.  

A study was undertaken in Mitchell a number of years ago that indicated that the average traveller, if they spend two days here, will spend $40 per day per person. With approximately 40,000 people driving through Mitchell each year that is a conservative loss to the community of $1,000,000.

Can our towns afford this kind of loss?