As part of the vanguard of Logan tourism, Arwen McGregor is uniting local businesses for the common good.
Ms McGregor is the owner and founder of Devon Pixies, the first dedicated high tea house in Logan.
She is also the Vice President and Tourism Champion for the Logan Chamber of Commerce, and she has a strong desire to see Logan tourism reflect the city she calls home.
Her passionate approach to tourism is based 0n two factors: accessibility and mutual care.
Ms McGregor said everyone should be aware of their access to tourism.
Even those who do not think they are in the industry have something to offer, Ms McGregor said.
She said informing someone of a good fruit shop, informing someone of good parking or even giving them simple advice, were all contributors to local tourism.
Another key, she said, was businesses helping other businesses.
Ms McGregor learned about tourism, specifically from the perspective of a small business, while working at a vineyard in Canungra.
she said collaborating with other small businesses was “the only way to survive.”
“When I started working there people would [say] ‘what’s in Canungra?’… Now it’s the bougie place to go for a drive.”
Ms McGregor said the new perception of Canungra was a testament to the hard work and collaboration of local businesses.
She then decided to complete her masters in tourism, brought her knowledge to Logan and established Devon Pixies.
“Starting in Logan Village, we tried getting [it to be] a destination spot,” she said.
Eight years later, at the end of 2021, the high tea house moved to the Kingston Butter Factory, where Ms McGregor said the surrounding businesses helped each other.
“What benefits them benefits me… it benefits all of us,” Ms McGregor said.
She said, in terms of tourism, Logan was in the difficult position of competing with both Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Conversely, it is hard to get from the Gold Coast to Brisbane without passing through Logan.
Ms McGregor said Logan tourism would thrive on its own unique identity.
“Logan is real,” she said.
“It’s not the glitz and glamour of the Gold Coast [and] it’s not the hustle and bustle of Brisbane.
“We want people who want to explore and look and see and try.”
Ms McGregor is proud of Logan’s individuality and said the city had just as much to offer as anywhere else.
“We don’t tell enough people about it,” she said.
“We’ve got an art gallery, we’ve got an entertainment centre, we’ve got historical sites, we’ve got the nature.
“For international tourists, it’s [often] just a dial back from the hustle and bustle [of their own countries].”
Ms McGregor said enhancing tourism would lead to greater employment, leisure and growth in Logan, and she hoped more businesses would join her endeavour.
“Tourism is what you do when you go somewhere for pleasure or for business, it’s also when we entertain, attract, and accommodate tourists,” she said.
