Perceptions of Gold Coast locals regarding the proposed cruise ship terminal

This topic has been controversial within the Gold Coast community with locals expressing varied perceptions. The Gold Coast is considered to be a good location to develop a cruise ship terminal because of its global, national and regional status as a tourist destination and the healthy state of the tourism industry.

This research project was a two-part study and consisted of secondary and primary research. The method used to conduct primary research was a mixed questionnaire, which was distributed at random to a sample of 70 Gold Coast locals.

A slight majority of the respondents were in favour of the cruise ship terminal and the majority of the respondents believed the cruise ship terminal would create economic benefits for the Gold Coast regardless of if they were for or against the project. A large majority of the respondents indicated the cruise ship terminal would result in economic, social and environmental issues. However, in line with the secondary research, the most prominent concerns were of a social and environmental nature. The majority of locals indicated that all of the proposed location options were unsuitable of development.