Local government plays a central role in creating great regional tourism & destination marketing experiences by providing infrastructure, destination marketing and visitor information and supporting and coordinating tourism operators. Without this support, many towns that might be able to attract visitors flounder and fail to deliver an integrated experience.
That’s why we were so pleased to read the Australian Regional Tourism Network (ARTN) press release.
Here’s a summary of what David Sheldon, Chairperson of ARTN had to say.
“Local government is the facilitator for greater regional dispersion, which is recognised by both the State and Federal Governments as a major strategy in the 2020 Tourism Master plan.”
But Mr Sheldon said that despite lots of talk and spending, tourism, particularly cohesive regional destinations and investment in an integrated destination management plan, is being given very little attention.
There appears to be… “limited understanding of the visitor economy and the benefits it can bring to the social and economic composition of regional areas.”
ARTN is commencing work with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) to develop practical ways to improve cohesion at the regional destination level. The focus will be on improving:
- Visitor Information Centres and Services
- Destination Management
- Investment and Regional Development
“Tourism needs to be on local government’s agenda as one of the nation’s growth, go to, industries!” explained Mr Sheldon.
Creating integrated tourism experiences is something Wayfound is passionate about. Read more about our services here or feel free to contact us to get more information.
