From welcoming thousands of visitors to supporting the community through a significant flooding event, Bundaberg Regional Council’s latest Operational Plan review has highlighted a quarter focused on resilience, activity and continued growth.
Presented at last week’s Ordinary Meeting, the report outlined strong tourism and airport figures, increased customer service demand and ongoing progress on the Safe Spaces, Thriving Places project aimed at revitalising the Bundaberg CBD through the January to March period.
During the quarter, 28,365 people visited Council’s tourism attractions, including 3,015 visitors to the Hinkler Hall of Aviation and 807 to Fairymead House.
Bundaberg Regional Airport also continued to play an important role in connecting the region, with 33,148 passengers travelling through the terminal.
Mayor Helen Blackburn said the results demonstrated the region’s resilience despite the challenges brought by recent flooding.
“The flooding event during March created additional demand across many Council services, however these figures demonstrate the strength of our region and the continued appeal of our tourism attractions,” she said.
“Council staff worked incredibly hard during a very busy period to continue delivering services for the community while responding to increased customer enquiries and operational pressures.”
In response to the recent weather and flooding conditions, a significant increase in community enquiries and requests for service was reported.
Council’s customer service and investigation teams managed the demand, with 17,900 customer requests lodged during the quarter.
Safe Spaces, Thriving Places continues
The Operational Plan also highlights progress on Council’s Safe Spaces, Thriving Places project, which remains on track to meet its goals.
The initiative aims to celebrate and enhance the Bundaberg CBD through social, economic and infrastructure improvements designed to strengthen the city centre for residents, businesses and visitors.
“Projects like Safe Spaces, Thriving Places are important to ensuring our city centre continues to evolve as a vibrant and welcoming place for the whole community,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“We’re continuing to invest in initiatives that support liveability, visitation and economic activity across the region.”
