She feared the environmental, roading and amenity impacts might lead to a negative perception by tourists if the peninsula did not experience the economic growth being touted in other areas of the city.
"We have got to take the community with us and it's never been more important than now,'' she said.
"Otherwise you build resentment.''
The issue was canvassed in her report tabled at last week's community board meeting.
"We want our visitors to feel welcome,'' she said after the community board meeting.
"The feedback the board has been getting is concern around the number of people, traffic on the roads, busy roads ... and then the environmental impact of large numbers of people visiting our attractions.''
She saw it as a "positive problem'', but there were many infrastructural deficiencies which needed to be addressed to cope with growing visitor numbers.
Cruise ship visitor numbers were expected to grow significantly next year, as were the number of freedom campers.
"The importance of taking the community with the agencies who are locally managing this growth is paramount and I am not sure the outside agencies have quite grasped that yet,'' she said.
"They are dealing with it at quite a high level and I'm saying we need to communicate with those at the grass-roots level.''
The community board had been calling for toilets at Seal Point Rd and better maintenance of rubbish facilities, she said.
Dunedin Council City property manager Kevin Taylor said council staff were investigating the need for public toilets at various sites around the city.
Seal Point Rd was among them, he said.
"We are trying to get our heads around what's happened in the past and reviewing what we are doing,'' he said.
"We have got to review what the priority is for public toilet sites around the city.
We have got to go back to council and we will hopefully be doing that in August.''
Any sites identified would also have their rubbish bins, running water and other public amenities reviewed, he said.
Last week, the council announced Baldwin St would have public toilet facilities in place by October.
Earlier this month, council chief executive Sue Bidrose said $200,000 had been set aside for toilets this financial year and $150,000 in following years. A toilet block costs about $150,000.
Toilets in Baldwin St, at Waitati, and on the West Harbour shared pathway had been identified as priorities.
