Wheeling Adventures, a Segway tour business closed their doors citing shire fees and restrictions as the reasons.
A number of issues led to their closure including a lack of promised advertising, exclusion from major local events and their inability to operate for 13 months due to a permit error.
Wheeling Adventures co-owner Veronique Besson said there was “too many red tapes” to overcome which caused her to “lose everything”.
“After a year of operation the shire of Mandurah received a letter from the Road Safety Commission saying we were operating illegally because the shire didn't have the final authority to give us the permit,” Mrs Besson said.
“We had to cease our operation til further notice,” she said. “In total we lost 13 months of business with no compensation.”
Three Rivers Brewery owner Trina Youchak also had issues with permits citing Mandurah was “probably the most red tape tangled and expensive place in the world” to start a business.
According to Mrs Besson, prohibition from operating during events such as the recent Stretch Festival also is a factor in Wheeling Adventures closing.
“This is where you showcase Mandurah and small businesses but we were not allowed to work,” she said. “There were 165,000 people who came during this weekend and we made $0.
“We lost $3000 in one weekend because we could not work.”
Mrs Besson said many local businesses also paid a membership fee to the Mandurah Visitor Centre to promote their business but received little to no benefit.
The MVC is funded and run by the City of Mandurah.
According to the MVC, they offer “prominent display of your business or tourism product” for $280 a year.
Mrs Besson was disappointed with the lack of promised advertising as she said “they sold six tours for me in a whole year,”
“It is one tour every two months,” she said. “How can you survive that?”
Mandurah and Peel Tourism Organisation head Karen Priest said “we have a cooperative partnership with the Mandurah Visitor Centre although we operate as separate entities.”
MAPTO is an incorporated not-for-profit organisation, which is funded by the local government, grants and sponsorships.
“Our organisation is tasked with promoting the area to Perth, nationally and internationally to increase the number of visitors, encourage them to stay longer and spend more,” Ms Priest said.
Ms Priest said MAPTO distribute the Anytime Adventures magazine through a “range of outlets” in Western Australia including Crown Hotel and Perth airport.
“In addition, they are sent to Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Singapore and Malaysia to key consumer and trade events,” she said. “The guide is the key selling tool.”
Peel Zoo owner David Cobbald said MAPTO do “a terrific job” in promoting local businesses.
“Businesses do not trust the council anymore,” Mrs Besson said. “The council needs to find a solution and change quickly otherwise more businesses will struggle.”
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