Bring on the tourists, say a group of Leura business owners.
Responding to criticism that the visitors who arrive in tourist coaches shop only in Woolworths and are creating traffic nightmares in the village, the group wants to embrace them and encourage more.
They all say they get huge custom from tourists.
Andrew Tsaroumis from Loaves and Dishes said he regularly hosts large coach loads for morning tea or lunch.
“Australia is experiencing a tourism increase,” he said. “It’s not just Leura – all around Australia tourist numbers are increasing. I think we need to embrace that and help it along and find a solution.
“The town’s found it a little bit hard to cope at times but I think we need to find an answer. I think we should be accommodating them as best as we can.”
John McEwen, from Leura Antiques, said his own experience was that tourists shopped in a number of locations in town.
“To say that they don’t spend money in Leura other than at Woolworths is just not true.”
His neighbour, The Candy Store owner Tamara Tancred, estimated that 70 to 75 per cent of her customers were tourists.
And Suzie Mitchell from Leura Vintage said the town needed their business.
“To suggest that they are a nuisance in town is really neglectful of our economy,” she said.
Mr Tsaroumis said the tourists provided valuable employment opportunities, particularly for young people who tended to leave the Mountains after they finished school to find work.
They all agreed that the space for coach parking on Megalong Street was inadequate but were not in favour of moving it to the off ramp at the top end of town.
Mr McEwen said he had looked at all of the options council is considering for where the buses should drop their passengers.
“None of them are friendly for the aged or the disabled. [The off ramp] is simply too far away from the facilities.”
Mr McEwen suggested the current bus stop could be extended to the corner of the Mall and one of the Woolworths car park entrances blocked off to help safety. All were of the view that the car park was a danger to pedestrians and needed a designated path painted on the asphalt.
Information sessions on the coach plan will be held on May 4 from noon-2pm and from 6-8pm. Submissions close on May 23. See the “Have your say” section at www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au.
