Mr van Asch, who has studied tourism in several countries and set up the Hawke's Bay Express in Napier, said one factor stood out when it came to people choosing a particular destination for a holiday.
"I thought let's look at what works and it is all around the coastal regions."
Napier, he said, was seen as a seaside town but with a sandy foreshore lagoon large enough to attract up to 3000 people it had the potential to become a seaside "resort".
He looked into similar ventures in other countries and started putting figures together.
Where safe lagoons with free access had been established tourism had increased markedly and people tended to stay longer.
Giving people an attractive reason for going somewhere meant they would not only likely stay longer they would also go and visit other attractions in the region - benefiting its economy.
"Napier needs to grow the economy and jobs," he said, adding that a sandy beach lagoon, which because of its design would create tropical conditions for six months of the year, could do that.
His plan was for a 250m long and 15m wide lagoon constructed on the city side of the cycleway, and created slightly lower into the ground so that it would be sheltered from sea breezes and allow the water to warm up.
The area would be landscaped with flaxes and trees and would feature beach volleyball courts as well as small retail vendor sites for items like ice creams, bikes and sun chairs.
Mr van Asch said he did not want to go head-to-head with the council over other proposed ventures but said a sandy beach lagoon would attract tourists and benefit everyone in the long run.
He said it could be done at no cost to ratepayers and the revenue generated through increased tourist numbers for potentially longer stays would quickly pay for itself.
The proposal had been posted on a Napier Lagoon Beach Facebook page and had attracted more than 1850 "likes" in 10 days.
He will submit the proposal to the council on June 5 at its Long Term Plan and Annual Plan Meeting.