PROPOSED level 5 water restrictions - to include the shutting down of beach showers - will impact on the Gold Coast's $2.5 billion tourism industry, says Federal MP Steven Ciobo.

Mr Ciobo is concerned the water restrictions will have a significant impact on the Gold Coast tourism industry and has labelled some aspects 'tokenistic'.

"While it's important to have a framework in place to increase the efficiency of water use, a ban on beach showers may in fact damage the Gold Coast's $2.5 billion tourism industry," he says.

"Local beach strips like Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach are the beating heart of Queensland tourism and a ban on beach showers will be damaging and completely pointless."

Mr Ciobo says tourism is a highly competitive business.

"Once beach showers are turned off, we'll see visitors and day-trippers bypassing the Gold Coast for NSW to avoid the inconvenience," he says.

"Let's not kid ourselves - once the beach showers are turned off, people will simply go back to their home or hotel and shower the sand off, using the same, if not more, of the city's water.

"This is a pointless exercise. Restaurants and retail stores too may lose business, missing out on walk-ins off the beach as customers will have nowhere to rinse off."

Mr Ciobo says local businesses will also be hit hard as a result of the tighter water restrictions.

"The Gold Coast promotes itself as the small business capital of Australia, however some local businesses will suffer as a result of level-five restrictions - in particular nurseries, which will have to cut back their watering hours," he says.

"It is tokenistic to impose tighter water restrictions on nurseries given that agriculture accounts for 70 per cent of Australia's supply of water.

"There needs to be more focus on the agriculture industry and the effectiveness of its water use.

"With more than four million visitors to the Gold Coast each year - and population increasing - there is no doubt there will be added strain on local water supplies, but with Hinze Dam three-quarters full, why hurt local business and drive tourists away?" says Mr Ciobo.