Community & Business
1 November, 2020
New Traders association for Kuranda
A new Kuranda Traders Association has been formed as a way for local businesses and property owners to have a say in the future of the tourist town.
Earlier in the year, the Mareeba Shire Council conducted a survey amongst property owners to see whether they would like to continue paying a levy that funded marketing for Kuranda through a body called ‘Tourism Kuranda.’
In June of this year, just over 61 per cent of business and property owners voted against its continuation. With the funds that were left over MSC awarded a 12-month digital campaign to Bang Media to promote Kuranda as a destination.
But once that ends, Kuranda tourism operators and business will be responsible for making their own marketing arrangements.
Now a group of Kuranda residents, business and property owners are moving forward to have a say in the town’s future marketing plans by starting their own association.
The Kuranda Traders association first meeting was in August and since then they have elected a committee, registered the association, organised insurance and written a constitution and mission statement.
President of the Kuranda Traders Association Dei Gould said they are getting together a cohesive group of business owners and commercial property owners to create an association that will support all of the businesses in Kuranda.
“Moving forward we want to effectively market Kuranda as a destination again,” she said.
“Bang Media have a contract to market Kuranda until the end of the financial year and then after that, we are on our own.”
“We don’t just want to market Kuranda, we also want to be recognised as a Local Tourism Organisation (LTO), that allows us to get more funding and then we can join TTNQ.”
Ms Gould said they are also hoping to run workshops on digital media and marketing for local business in the future.
“We want to all work together, so that from the roots up all the businesses are stronger and we can get the word out there together,” she said.
“We have less than a year to rally people and try and get some funding.
“If we don’t continually market Kuranda as a tourist destination we could be forgotten by the time the borders reopen.”
