Report cover page for strategic consulting to drive regenerative tourism in Noosa

Community-Driven Insights for Noosa’s Tourism Future

Community Engagement for Regenerative Tourism in Noosa Shire: Phase 1

From community voices to actionable insights, Intego’s helped shape Noosa’s Destination Management Plan and its aspirations for regenerative tourism in Noosa.

CLIENT: Noosa Shire Council

INDUSTRY: Tourism and Local Government

LOCATION: Noosa Shire, Queensland, Australia

SERVICES: Community engagement, stakeholder mapping, and quantitative and qualitative research and data analysis

The Challenge: Advancing Regenerative Tourism in Noosa

Recent peaks in tourism demand in Noosa Shire have placed pressure on infrastructure, the environment, and community well-being. To address these impacts, Noosa Council committed to developing a Destination Management Plan that would guide the Shire’s visitor economy over the next 5–10+ years and set a bold aspiration: to plant the seeds of regenerative tourism in Noosa.

In 2023, our founder partnered with Noosa Council in her capacity as a doctoral researcher, supporting a comprehensive community engagement process that captured diverse voices and perspectives on tourism.

Building on this academic partnership, Noosa Council later engaged Intego to provide in-depth technical analysis of the community engagement data. This consultancy work ensured that key themes and actions were rigorously synthesised and directly informed the Shire’s Destination Management Plan – one that is community-led, locally owned, and oriented toward a regenerative future.

Key Deliverables

To help shape the Destination Management Plan and support the Shire’s aspirations for regenerative tourism in Noosa, Intego delivered:

Input into community engagement design

Strategic guidance on designing consultation to reach all pockets of the community, using best-practice research methods aligned with regenerative tourism principles.

Stakeholder mapping and engagement matrix

A network analysis identifying distinct stakeholder groups, summarising how the conusltation captured unique voices across the Shire.

Quantified theme and action database

A rigorous technical database that converts qualitative community feedback into measurable data, allowing for evidence-based prioritisation of project actions.

Community sentiment analysis

Thematic analysis of the complete qualitative dataset to systematically identify and quantify positive, negative, and neutral community sentiment.

Internal Council report for decision makers

A strategic synthesis of complex data sets, translating community voices into a clear, actionable narrative for the future of the destination.

NVivo software training for Council staff

Specialised capacity-building sessions to train Council staff in qualitative research software, ensuring the internal team can manage and analyse data to industry standards.

Executive presentations on research findings

High-level briefings that translate data-driven insights into strategic recommendations, providing leadership with the evidence needed to finalise the management plan.

The Approach

As a doctoral researcher, Vanessa contributed to the design and delivery of a mixed-methods community engagement inspired by the principle of regenerative tourism in Noosa: 100% community-led.

After the 6-months research partnership ended, Noosa Council engaged Intego to analyse the data. Quantitative data was analysed to highlight the most and least common perspectives, while qualitative data was coded in NVivo 14 using inductive thematic analysis. Cross-tabulation was also conducted to explore connections between topics and actions.

To strengthen capacity within Council, Intego also provided NVivo training and delivered tailored presentations presenting findings and recommendations.

"Noosa Council is developing a community-driven Destination Management Plan that aims to manage Noosa Shire in a responsible and regenerative manner, informed by the shared values of the community.”

The Result: Insights for Regenerative Tourism in Noosa

The Council’s community engagement reached 1,168 people, producing 937 valid data records and generating the equivalent of 6.5 books worth of data.

Intego’s analysis:

Identified participant demographics, their geographic spread, and informed a stakeholder map

Gauged the community’s desired level of change across four tourism scenarios.

Revealed local definitions of success, balance needed between residents and visitors, and tourism-related challenges and opportunities.

Identified community sentiment, key themes, and proposed actions around nine priority issues: traffic, environment, waste management, destination marketing, visitor accommodation, visitor experience, iconic events, governance, and community.

In August 2025, Noosa Council released its draft Destination Management Plan for a Phase 2 of community consultation, progressing toward a shared vision for regenerative tourism in Noosa.