Business strategies and research

Given significant changes to our business industry brought about by COVID-19, we are looking at how we can improve our business plans. 

We will be bringing all of our business sectors under one strategy.

It will cover:

• What Council can do in the business industry space.
• Actions to support our established and emerging sectors.
• Key issues such as housing for key workers and land availability. 

What will inform the new strategy?

• Draft Sustainability Visitation Strategy
• Enterprising Byron 2025
• Visitor Economy Strategy 2030
• Austrade Reimagining the Visitor Economy Discussion Paper
• Northern Rivers Regional Economic Development Strategy 2018-2022 
• Our Business Survey in 2017/ 2018
• Our Business Impacts, Resilience and Continuity Survey 2020
• Discussions with local Chambers of Commerce, agencies, industry and networking groups and other key stakeholders 
•  .id informed decisions demographic resources
• Australian Business Register and Tourism Research Australia.

Background to the strategy

Many actions in Our Economic development strategy - Enterprising Byron 2025 have been completed and it’s time to review this strategy.

Both Enterprising Byron 2025 and the draft Byron Shire Sustainable Visitation Strategy 2020-2030 (SVS) were written pre COVID-19. They do not consider the impacts that a global pandemic have had on our business industry and the resulting shift in needs and priorities.

The new strategy has been informed by past engagement with our businesses and community. It will include more engagement in the coming months.

View the 24 June report and Council’s decision.

Our Economic Development Strategy, Enterprising Byron 2025 promotes a vision that will set the tone for decision making, entrepreneurship and leadership for the Byron Shire economy to 2025 – our vision is for:

“a resilient and diverse economy providing for our community in a sustainable manner.”

The Enterprising Byron 2025 Action Plan details the implementation of the Strategy in partnership with the local community, business and industry, regional stakeholders and State and Federal Government agencies.

• View Economic Development Strategy, Enterprising Byron 2025(PDF, 2MB)
• View the Action Plan Enterprising Byron 2025(PDF, 132KB)

The Sustainable Visitation Strategy (SVS) was prepared pre COVID-19. It did not consider the impacts on the industry and the resulting shift in business needs and priorities. 

The SVS will be noted as a point in time document. Moving forward, the relevant actions and information from both the SVS and Enterprising Byron 2025 along with new research and engagement will be brought together to create a whole of business industry strategy.

View the draft Sustainable Visitation Strategy(PDF, 2MB) and the Tourism Resilience Discussion Paper(PDF, 63KB) that included the impacts of the global pandemic on the visitor economy.

To assist our community, community groups, business leaders and investors to be more informed about Byron Shire we provide access to a range of tools that include data from the 2016 Census:

• Economic Profile
• Community Profile
• Social Atlas

View the Byron Shire Economics Profile

Survey for Flood impacted businesses 2022

To better understand the implications of recent flood events on businesses and various industry sectors in Byron Shire, Council conducted a survey from Thursday 7 April to Wednesday 4 May 2022.

Download the survey for flood impacted businesses key findings report(PDF, 902KB)

Business Impacts, Resilience and Continuity Survey 2020

To better understand the implications of COVID-19 on businesses and various industry sectors in Byron Shire, Council conducted a fortnightly survey from May - July 2020.

Download the Business Impacts, Resilience and Continuity Survey 2020 key findings report(PDF, 195KB)

Business Survey 2017 to 2018

We conducted research in 2017 to understand the current and future needs of our local businesses. More than 1000 businesses participated in the online survey between September and December 2017.

Download the Business Survey 2017 to 2018 report(PDF, 4MB)