MORE than 100 local businesses from the Mid North Coast have put their case to the NSW Premier for the creation of the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) as a “game-changing tourism destination” to rival the Blue Mountains and the Great Barrier Reef”.
The business coalition submitted a signed letter to Mr Minns at State Parliament last week.
With members spanning from Coffs Harbour to Woolgoolga, the group believes the creation of the full GKNP will draw visitors from around the world to see koalas in the wild.
Local operators spanning diverse sectors have signed on to support the establishment of the full 176,000 hectares of the GKNP, including tourism and hospitality venues like Sawtell Hotel, Jetty Beach House, and Beaches at Sawtell; adventure tourism operators including Coffs Skydivers, Solitary Islands Surf School, and C-Change Adventures; and local cafés, restaurants and food outlets.
Coffs Skydivers owner Steve Hill said the local business community needs a boost.
“The type of people that are interested in little fluffy koalas are interested in being outdoors,” he said.
“My business relies on that kind of tourism.
“If you bring in a park that goes global – something like the Great Barrier Reef – we all know it will give us the boost that we badly need.”
C-Change Adventures owner Matt Sparrius said supporting the GKNP was a “no-brainer”.
“The more koalas there are in the park, the more chances there are of seeing them.
“For tourism, we will have more tourists, there will be more jobs, we can expand our business, and there will be other businesses that can move into that space.”
