Thinking inside the box at the Australian Regional Tourism Convention 2019
What is the Australian Regional Tourism Convention?
Australian Regional Tourism Ltd (ART) is the peak body that represents regional tourism practitioners and acts as a hub for collaboration, cooperation, ideas generation, knowledge sharing, networking and more.
On behalf of its members, ART promotes sustainable regional development through regionally focussed research, destination management planning, product development, marketing and the development of skilled human resources
The core business of ART is to:
Inspire and enable the development of product and experiences
Create and transfer market intelligence and capacity
Create and promote empowering policy and programs
The annual Australian Regional Tourism Convention is a must-attend event for local councils, regional tourism organisations, tourism professionals and business and government personnel who want to contribute to the future of regional tourism in Australia.
This year’s convention uncovered the big challenges for our regions, and explored what is required to compete in an increasingly competitive global market.
What do mega trends and disruption mean for tourism in regional Australia and what opportunities do they create for you? This year’s convention theme was ‘Exploiting the newfound focus on regions’ – Is regional Australia ready for the spotlight?
Linda started on the ART board seven years ago in Tasmania and retired from the Board in this same beautiful state.
The host destination Devonport on the Cradle Coast is such a gorgeous regional destination in Northern Tasmania, with a great multi-purpose Council, community and convention centre (conveniently next door to Southern Wild Distillery).
Despite the great experiences had in Devonport it is fair to be honest and note that they are also facing the same challenges as many other regional destinations, with dining options limited (especially on Sunday and Monday night), a level of apathy, and tired product. However, a big shout out to Fundamental Espresso and the team that looked after the convention delegates each morning with AMAZING coffee, lovely breakfast and exceptional service.
Thinking inside the box
Keynote speaker Nigel Collin kicked off convention on Tuesday morning, and hit hard with this one: THINK INSIDE THE BOX!
Nigel challenged listeners to stop trying to think outside the box and with a few quick exercises soon made everyone realise that what they all thought was helping them be creative and innovative, is actually stifling their thinking.
We need to think within the box - what are our parameters and the constraints that we need to work within, such as budget, staff capability, and infrastructure?
This frees us up to come up with solutions that are relevant and on purpose.
Linda first met Nigel at the 2018 ART Convention and was lucky enough to win a copy of his book ‘Game of Inches’, an extremely practical book for any entrepreneur or business owner.
Tourism 2030 - How does the future of our industry look?
Linda attended the Tourism 2030 Strategy consultation session held by Austrade the day prior to Convention, which was an opportunity for over forty regional tourism delegates to have input into the future of our industry for consideration by the federal government.
This workshop was a fantastic way to set the scene for the next two days, with great discussions around the challenges, opportunities and priorities for the next ten years.
In the welcome speech and opening address by the Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism (that’s right, we have direct representation on a federal level now!) Hon. Jonathon Duniam (or Jono as he asked to be called) made it very clear that the future of the Australian tourism industry is all about regions!
‘The next chapter of our tourism story is in the regions.’
‘Regional tourism will be the centrepiece of the Tourism 2030 strategy.’
The key factors that have been raised as priorities for our industry moving forward are somewhat different to the 2020 focus on OVE and China.
This is a conversation about environment, responsible tourism and social licence.
Quite appropriate when you look at what happened at Uluru this week.
Linda’s Key Convention Take Outs
Think inside the box!
We have a serious challenge around a sea of sameness in regional Australia, with a lack of unique propositions and identities amongst destinations. We need to work together and showcase our heroes.
We need role clarity in regional tourism - no more wastage and duplicate efforts, please!
Planning should be about yield and not numbers.
We need to start thinking about the impact that tourism has on people and places, and develop experiences that are sensitive to them, while at the same time offering visitors a high-quality immersive experience. Think micro festivals, high value travellers, and immersive cultural experiences that allow visitors to live like a local.
We need a separate set of KPIs for regional dispersal - imagine that!
Workforce gaps looming are quite scary! We will need 150,000 additional employees per year in tourism and hospitality. We need to change perceptions about careers in our industry and start recruiting more staff.
There is no one size fits all when it comes to a membership or funding a model for RTO’s and LTO’s - Mudgee vs Sunshine Coast is like comparing apples with robots.
Agritourism will become the next signature experience for Australia #hellyeah
(ART has a Boosting Regional Australia through Agritourism discussion paper available for members)
My new word thanks to Paul Matthews, Head of Regional Tourism at Visit Victoria, is ‘Flearn’ - learning from failure.
Handy resources and inspiring case studies worth checking out
Regional Dispersal of Australian Tourists
Tourism Research Australia has just released The Beach, Bush and Beyond: Understanding Regional Dispersal of Australian Tourists.
The report highlights the importance of attracting more visitors, both domestic and international, to areas of Australia beyond the drawcards of our main cities and beaches.
Tourism is a significant industry in Australia. In 2017–18, there were more than 9 million international trips to Australia, and another 100 million domestic overnight trips within Australia. At the same time, tourism spend was at a record high of $131 billion. Tourism as a sector represents 3.2% of Australia’s gross domestic product and employs one-in-twenty Australians.
The influence of tourism is especially important in regional Australia, contributing 4.2% to its gross regional product in 2016–17. This compares to just 2.7% in capital cities and the Gold Coast. Encouraging more Australians and international visitors to venture beyond the capital cities and major centres is, therefore, a priority for the Australian tourism industry.
Tourism Research Australia, in partnership with tourism organisations from every state and territory, commissioned Deloitte Access Economics to undertake research into travel behaviour, patterns, trends and sentiment to gain a greater understanding of the motivations for, and barriers to, regional dispersal. This research will inform policy development, marketing campaigns, and product development, as well as help identify the most suitable areas for future investment.
Beyond Tourism 2020 Strategy: Consultation Submissions
See a comprehensive report of Austrade’s consultation sessions
Visitor Servicing Toolkit
This is a great tool from VTIC!!
Destination brand inspiration: Tasmania come down for air
Camping with custodians
West Coast Tasmania
West Coast in Tasmania is a remote area in the relatively small island that is known for its geographic and climate ruggedness as well as its difficult accessibility. Rich in minerals, it was once heavily mined and is the main reason a railway even reaches it. Today it is home to around 4,000 people (out of the approximate 526,000+ population of Tasmania) and its beautiful and untouched scenery has been attracting increased tourism.
For the People worked to rebrand the region with the West Coast Council through an open process, inviting the region’s 4,000 residents, tourism operators, and Councillors to participate in the making of the brand. After a 10-month process, the result is an open source brand toolkit that allows the different constituents of the region to put together their own materials using a shared visual language.
Wimmera Mallee Augmented Reality
The Victorian State Government, Wimmera Mallee Tourism and Plattar partnered to reinvigorate the area of Wimmera Mallee with a unique augmented reality experience to highlight the silo artwork on display throughout the region and enhance the visitor experience.
The Silo Art Trail AR Experience brings the narrative behind each of the 40ft tall silo murals to life through animated 3D and audio commentary. These rural locations give you a tour back in time from the aboriginal stories, life of youths in the country to how farming has evolved across generations.
Stay Connected
Become a member of Australian Regional Tourism today to stay connected with likeminded regional tourism professionals via ART’s The Tourism Hub
See you at this year’s Australian Regional Tourism Convention
