Business Development Coaching
Experience Gold Coast
Experience Gold Coast
Experience Gold Coast (previously called Destination Gold Coast) is the regional tourism organisation for Queensland’s famous Gold Coast and its hinterland. The Gold Coast attracts almost 5 million overnight visitors per year, including over 600,000 international visitors.
Project purpose
To enable more Gold Coast tourism operators to become Best of Queensland Experiences, Experience Gold Coast contracted Jayne Jennings of JJ Strategic Consulting supported by Linda Tillman and Kushla Gale of Tilma Group to deliver free business coaching to its members on Tourism & Events Queensland’s Best of Queensland Experiences Program.
The Best of Queensland Experiences Program assesses Queensland tourism businesses on their ability deliver exceptional experiences, and create positive word of mouth recommendations for Queensland.
The program assesses businesses on:
Consistent delivery of an exceptional experience based on positive customer reviews
Having a website with secure booking platform
An active and engaging social media presence
Regional tourism organisation membership
Accreditation
Project overview
For six months we provide coaching on these criteria, and where additional time was available, coaching also covered
Website, accessibility and sustainability improvements
Experience enhancements
Project outcomes
JJ Strategic Consulting and Tilma Group mentored 70 businesses, as diverse as a jet boat experience, a whale watching cruise, apartment hotels, events, jet ski-ing, axe throwing, camper hire, a surf school, surf clubs, a golf club, a wildlife park, and many others. Each was provided with a tailored action plan to support becoming or maintaining their status as a Best of Queensland Experience in 2025. They were also provided with other resources, such as best practice websites, social media accounts and review response examples, and relevant funding programs available.
We also delivered a webinar on the program including tips and best practice examples. This was recorded for Experience Gold Coast to share with its members along with a tip sheet and case studies of businesses that demonstrate good practice on the Best of Queensland Experiences Program criteria.
Referee
Judy Quodling
Industry Development Officer
Experience Gold Coast
07 5584 6223
judy.quodling@destinationgoldcoast.com
or
Ashleigh Barnes
Partnership & Membership Officer
Experience Gold Coast
07 5584 6243
ashleigh.barnes@destinationgoldcoast.com
Online Industry Development Toolkit
Townsville Enterprise
Townsville enterprise
For anyone who loves to explore tropical islands, wetlands, the Great Barrier Reef, rainforests and a glorious beachfront in warm tropical weather, Townsville region offers a diverse range of sustainable, historic, military, outback, island, active and tranquil experiences.
Project purpose
The regional tourism organisation, Townsville Enterprise, wanted to support local tourism businesses to exceed customer expectations and enhance their capacity.
They wanted to have a self-guided and practical tourism development toolkit for local operators, with information and templates that operators could access to use at any time to enhance their experience and business practices.
Project overview
Based on anecdotal evidence of local need, Townsville Enterprise identified industry development topics to include in the toolkit, including
To avoid duplication, Tilma Group sourced mainly existing resources from the state and beyond that provided practical information on each topic.
Tilma Group also developed a number of case studies on local and other operators who demonstrate the value of best practice.
Project outcomes
The toolkit is live, and operators attended two webinars on the toolkit’s topics at the launch of the new toolkit. These were recorded and also form part of the toolkit.
Already 500 local operators have accessed the toolkit.
Referee
Megan Hawke
Tourism Executive
Townsville Enterprise Limited
0400 093 838
megan.hawke@tel.com.au
www.tel.com.au
www.townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au
Destination Management Governance Review
Echuca Moana Tourism
Echuca Moama Tourism Inc
Echuca Moama and District Tourism Association Incorporated (EMDTA) is the Local Tourism Association for Echuca Moama and District which straddles the NSW-Victorian border and has a high dependency on tourism as a key economic driver.
Project purpose
An organisational review was sought to respond to a range of challenges, including duplication of effort across the many stakeholders, and the recovery from COVID-19 and natural disasters. It was important that EMDTA took the time to reflect and refocus to ensure that it is best servicing the needs of industry and the changing needs and expectations of visitors.
Project overview
In partnership with JJ Strategic Consulting, Tilma Group
reviewed existing membership documentation, service agreements, and regional, local government and local tourism organisation plans
researched local and regional tourism organisation operating and membership models across regional Australia
undertook consultation with industry and government stakeholders
developed a discussion paper to enable opportunities and recommendations to be tested and validated in a stakeholder workshop where a consensus on the most appropriate model and strategy moving forward was reached. This supported the development of a guiding document that will support the revitalisation of the organisation and the destination’s management moving forward.
The report included a clarification of EMDTA’s purpose, a vision for the region, a recommended operating structure and governance including roles and responsibilities for the various entities in the local tourism industry, and the priority functions of the organisation moving forward.
Outcomes
Benchmarking with regional destinations across Victoria revealed there is no one size fits all destination management organisation structure or budget. Benchmarking reinforced the importance of having a clear understanding of the DMO’s functions, with a team closely aligned to the functions and the required budget to deliver.
Our report recommends a fresh new destination management model for the Echuca Moama tourism industry, Murray River Council and Campaspe Shire Council. The model seeks to reset the destination to fully realise its potential, nurture innovation, and lead the way in destination management in regional Victoria.
Strategic partnerships and alignment with the activities of the Murray Regional Tourism Board and other key stakeholders are a cornerstone of the new model to leverage collective strengths and maximise outcomes.
The plan identified the roles of each of the many destination managers at various levels in the region – the two Councils, the local tourism industry, the regional and state tourism organisations, and others.
The transition to the new co-creative approach to destination management over three phases was outlined, along with recommended resourcing and team structure, a funding model and annual budget.
As recommended, a Change Manager has been appointed to activate the recommended structure, functions, and funding model, and develop a new Corporate Plan and Destination Management Plan.
“Linda Tillman and the team were amazing. We engaged them to help us after the board decided we needed a fresh set of eyes to look at what we are doing as an organisation and how we are doing it.
They did a thorough job going through our organisation from top to bottom and coming back to us (and our stakeholders) multiple times throughout the process to engage and test.
They created a recommended organisational model that will allow Echuca Moama and District Tourism to evolve into a Destination Management Organisation with a clear purpose and functions that align with and support our partners and stakeholders, and will support the sustainable growth and development of our destination.
We have already made significant progress since the completion of the organisational review and are now in the process of working through some of the next steps in the ever changing tourism industry.”
Referee
John Hall
Chair
Echuca Moama and District Tourism Association
0419 010 792
john@cactuscountry.com.au
www.echucamoama.com
Tourism Activation Plan
Clifton Chamber of Commerce
Clifton, QLD
Clifton is a rural village in the broad-acre cropping lands between two regional centres an hour apart in south east Queensland: Toowoomba (population 105,000) and Warwick (12,000) which are
Clifton’s attractions include a new museum, regular steam train visits, and an Irish pub that holds quirky events. In summer, sunflowers attract vast numbers of visitors. Nearby to Clifton are Darling Downs Zoo, two National Parks, and the highly-attended Leyburn Sprints car race, as well as other villages with interesting connections such as to Steele Rudd of Dad and Dave fame, and the author of Mary Poppins.
Project purpose
On behalf of Clifton and District Chamber of Commerce, Tilma Group and Toowoomba Regional Council collaborated to secure $20,000 from a federal grant to develop a tourism development plan, a marketing plan and a development plan for a new event.
Their purpose was to increase benefits received from visitors. The plans identified priority activities to undertake to increase Clifton’s vibrancy through increased visitation, and to increase economic benefits for businesses.
The objective of the project was to excite the community to work on a shared vision and build vibrancy by leveraging and activating existing assets and developing new opportunities.
Project overview
Review and consultation
The tourism development plan built on other work undertaken by Tilma Group for the Chamber, including the development of a tourism audit, a community consultation workshop, and mentoring three community groups to further their projects.
Consultation consisted of face to face and phone meetings with a broad variety of stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities, including Clifton’s community groups, business owners and tourism operators, a pop-up consultation day at the local café, and meetings with tourism staff of two Councils, the regional and state tourism organisations, and Queensland Museums.
Tilma Group distilled the findings to develop an easily implementable plan which identified three priority projects to realise over three years:
Build the capacity of businesses and community groups to offer a quality experience to visitors.
Activate existing assets and develop new tourism experiences.
Increase awareness of the region through marketing.
A new collaborative tourism collective was recommended to drive the plan’s activation, and improve efficiencies amongst the community’s already-active community groups.
The tourism development plan also looked beyond Clifton to recommend a new destination brand for the rural region between Toowoomba and Warwick, to position it as a sunflower destination for year-round visitation and to activate this positioning with a region-wide summer sunflower festival. Sunflowers are by far the most popular request at Toowoomba and Warwick’s visitor information centres – a hook that draws people to the region from across south east Queensland.
New event
Based on an assessment of the kinds of events that the Clifton community already do well, Tilma Group developed a comprehensive plan for a new ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’-themed event.
Marketing plan
The content-focused marketing plan identified multiple tactics that can be implemented with little to no budget such as
Ensuring all of Clifton’s attractions and events are listed on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse and TripAdvisor.
Quarterly seasonal newsletters promoting events and things to do appropriate to the season.
Activating Clifton’s public toilets with destination information on the backs of toilet doors such as pub menus and upcoming events (to leverage tea and wee stops and playground stops).
Direct marketing to car and motorbike clubs.
Tactics to leverage events.
Outcomes
The plans were used to
Secure another $20,000 federal grant to enable Clifton to realise their new event by hiring an event organiser/marketer. The event organiser’s role was to coordinate the community groups and businesses who will each run parts of the event.
Secure funding from Council for three projects: a three-month destination marketing campaign, a business development program to teach business owners how to improve their visitor experience, and a placemaking project to beautify the Main Street to encourage visitors to stop. Consultants were hired to implement these projects.
Secure funding by a community group for a mural about the region's mega fauna fossils to add vibrancy to the main street.
Referee
Amanda Beatson
President
Clifton and District Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 44
Clifton QLD 4361
0437 641 277
info@cliftonchamber.org.au
www.cliftonchamber.org.au
Hero Off Peak Event Development
Destination Phillip Island
Destination Phillip Island
Phillip Island is the region in Victoria that is the most dependent on tourism, and the second most dependent in Australia. With just 10,000 residents, the island welcomes almost three million visitors each year, mainly in summer.
Project purpose
To smooth the intense seasonality of visitation to Phillip Island, Destination Phillip Island is seeking to support the growth of key off-peak events to attract overnight visitation during the winter months. This will support cash flow and staff retention for local tourism businesses.
The three homegrown events with the potential to grow are
This project built on previous work Tilma Group had done in the region:
The development of a Growing Off Peak Events Strategy for Bass Coast Shire Council
A 10-month event organiser capacity building program run by our rEVENTS Academy
Project overview
With funding to help the region recover from the impact of COVID on the local tourism industry, Destination Phillip Island hired Tilma Group to set these events up with everything they need to realise their potential:
A three-year strategic growth plan for each of three off peak events
Upskilling for the event organisers via rEVENTS Academy’s 7-week intensive event management training program
Complete operations manual development using rEVENTS Academy’s templates and resources
The process of development included desktop research, attending one of the festivals, extensive stakeholder consultation, and developing discussion papers and workshopping these with the committees.
Additionally, for each event, Embarketing marketing agency
provided a new or refreshed logo and brand story
updated all marketing assets, including the websites, social media profile graphics and tiles for stakeholders to use to help promote the events
undertook a review of all digital assets and provided a recommendations report
developed a marketing plan and content plan
Tilma Group also developed an event concept for a new off-peak wellness event aligned with the destination’s strengths and consumer trends. The concept was developed to pitch to a committee of local businesses to run as a collaborative commercial opportunity, or to pitch to an external event promotor.
An exciting addition to the project was a collaboration with University of Technology, Sydney’s Master of Event Management program where students undertook an assessment where they also developed a new off-peak event’s concept and plan for a new event.
Outcomes
All the work put into these events is already starting to pay off.
San Remo Fishing Festival was transformed into the destination event TIDAL Seafood Festival, San Remo with the support more volunteers who join the committee inspired by the event’s strong structure and direction (vision)
Island Whales’ next festival was the biggest and best ever, attracting almost 10,000 attendees, almost all of the activities were booked out, and new elements, including the Southern Ocean Environment VR Experience and plastics recycling workshop, were all full.
Phillip Island Festival of Stories will leverage the impressive new Cowes Cultural Centre to deliver their first event after the mentoring in 2024
We presented to Council on the opportunity of supporting these events and expected economic outcomes from them, and Council is considering our pitch for funding to hire an event organiser to support the implementation of the strategic plans.
The events all applied for grant funding, leveraging their strategic plans to secure significant support.
“We couldn’t have done it without all of your hard work! So another huge thank you!”
Referee
Kim Storey
General Manager
Destination Phillip Island
0409 250 895
dpi@visitphillipisland.com.au
www.destinationphillipisland.org.au
www.visitphillipisland.com.au
Regional Events Strategy
Australia’s Golden Outback
Goldfields, WA
Striking landscapes, gold rush heritage, Aboriginal culture and unique events make the Goldfields of southeast WA a truly special Outback destination.
Project purpose
Australia’s Golden Outback, the regional tourism organisation, hired Tilma Group to develop an events strategy to develop the events sector’s capacity and build a vibrant and diverse events portfolio that stimulates economic growth, attracts and disperses visitors, and enhances local pride and the liveability of the region for current and future residents.
Project overview
Development of the strategy involved
Consulting with key stakeholders across the seven local government areas of the Goldfields
Developing an audit of the Goldfield’s events, events infrastructure, and event organisers’ capacity
Exploring challenges (many in this remote region), gaps and opportunities
Developing a vision and objectives
Identifying game-changing strategic priorities and the actions to achieve them
Project outcomes
The event strategy recommends realistic strategies and priority action areas for the Councils to collaborate on that will drive increased benefits from events.
Referee
Donna Malec
Goldfields Tourism Development Manager
Australia’s Golden Outback
0416 232 997
donna.malec@goldenoutback.com
www.australiasgoldenoutback.com
Regional Events Strategy
Destination Gippsland
Destination Gippsland, VIC
Covering almost 20% of Victoria, Gippsland is roughly the same size as the Netherlands. It encompasses six local government areas (LGAs) stretching from Melbourne's eastern suburbs to the border with New South Wales in Victoria's far east. Gippsland contains some of Victoria's most striking landscapes, significant national parks, and outstanding alpine areas.
Gippsland’s events calendar is diverse, with golf and racing days, music festivals and agricultural shows, and a host of food and wine events presenting the region's fresh produce. Latrobe City hosts a diverse range of sporting events in its national- and international-standard sporting facilities.
Project purpose
Following three years of drought and severe bushfires in January 2020, immediately followed by COVID-19, the region is focused on long term and sustainable recovery via investment in diverse and exciting regional events.
Project overview
The project reviewed the needs of events across Gippsland and identified innovative solutions based on the following desired outcomes.
Use the collective strength of Gippsland to compete nationally in the event space and optimise the associated benefits: economic – branding – social – legacy
Adopt a robust Events Procurement framework and strategy to attract events to the region
Explore multiple models and identify the pros & cons of a single entity or structure “Events Gippsland” that includes all primary stakeholders, to provide a one-stop shop for Gippsland events
Explore multiple models for the creation of an Event Acquisition Fund that allows for strategic acquisition, growth of existing and creation of new events across the region.
Explore the idea of a Coordinated Event Volunteer Pool to support major events and community events and encourage a ‘host’ mentality within communities hosting events to ensure a positive visitor and participant experience that results in return visitation and positive word of mouth promotion of the region.
Project outcomes
This strategy is a first for Australia with its focus on creating a modern and innovative governance model that is Australia’s first collaborative regional events entity across multiple LGAs.
This governance model is supported by an acquisition and development fund and programs and initiatives that will support resource efficiencies, improved volunteer management, and infrastructure sharing to support the region’s recovery and allow the destination to be more competitive against other regional Victoria destinations.
The Board of Destination Gippsland (and all Local Government partners) have agreed to the activation of the model and are excited by the region's future in events.
Implementation of Stage 1
The Project Manager of the Events Gippsland, David Elder, describes the development and implementation of the strategy:
"In 2020 Tilma Group developed the Gippsland Regional Events Strategy which was ambitious in creating a roadmap for the development of an Australian-first collaborative events governance model. This will see all six local governments within Gippsland work in partnership with Destination Gippsland to attract events to the region.
Linda proved to be the perfect person for the audacious job. Her knowledge of the industry, enthusiasm for the challenge and ability to bring stakeholders on the journey were just a few of the attributes that proved her selection as a master stroke. She is a genuine, warm person who invites people to open up and has a knack for reading the room and repeating stakeholders’ comments in a succinct, strategic and engaging way. But equally, she wasn’t frightened to question and debate the views of some to really test their thinking and feedback, always in a respectful and professional way. In doing so, all stakeholders felt listened to and our final document is exceptional.
To date the strategy has resulted in successfully attracting over $900,000 in grant funding. This allowed for Stage 1 to commence with a healthy Event Attraction Fund, a dedicated Events Gippsland Project Manager, and a collaborative governance structure for decision making which includes all 6 local councils, Sport and Recreation Victoria, Latrobe Valley Authority, and Destination Gippsland.
Across Gippsland, Linda also developed the Bass Coast Off-Peak Events Strategy and the East Gippsland Events Strategy, both highly strategic documents that align to the regional strategy. Feedback for Linda’s approach and quality of work was resoundingly positive."
“Tilma Group’s collaborative and inquiring approach coupled with their dedication and professionalism have been a delight in what has been a challenging year for the visitor economy sector.
We have no hesitations in recommending their work.”
Referee
Janine Hayes
Manager Tourism & Events
Latrobe Valley
Destination Gippsland
PO Box 203
Mirboo North VIC 3871
0488 042 838
jhayes@destinationgippsland.com.au
www.visitgippsland.com.au/destination-gippsland
New Tourism Experience Development
Barcoo Way
Barcoo Way
The Barcoo Way region is based around the Barcoo River which flows north-west from Tambo in Central Queensland, before turning south towards Windorah. Tambo is 850km northwest of Brisbane, west of Bundaberg and the Carnarvon National Park, and north of Charleville. Towns along the Barcoo Way include Blackall, Isisford, Yaraka, and Windorah. A 156km-long railway line between Blackall to Yaraka was closed to trains in 2005.
Project purpose
Tilma Group were contracted with project partners JJ Strategic Consulting and Lucid Economics to develop a business case to determine the viability of using the defunct railway corridor as a multi-use rail trail (cycling, hiking, and horseriding) as a compelling tourism experience attracting adventure-seeking visitors to this unique part of Outback Queensland, and improving liveability for local communities.
This project was made possible by funding from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and was a joint project of the Blackall-Tambo, Longreach, and Barcoo Councils as part of their membership in the Barcoo Way collaborative tourism initiative.
“Tilma Group were great to work with on the Barcoo Way - they have a wealth of tourism knowledge and an understanding of our remote region. The team was full of innovative ideas and suggests on how we can progress this project, and address the challenges and hurdles!”
Project overview
The project established the
feasibility of the rail trail
stakeholder aspirations for the project
market demand analysis
strengths, challenges and opportunities (SWOT) of the existing infrastructure along the proposed trail to support visitor use and the trail’s financial sustainability
operational requirements for development, management and maintenance of the trail and any associated built infrastructure
The project outcomes were maximised by
supporting product and events that will activate the new trail infrastructure and foster sustainable growth of the region
giving voice to the locals, engaging the tourism industry, local communities and government on their aspirations for the project
positioning the three local government areas to attract public and private sector investment to support sustainable development of the project
The project approach was to consult with a broad range of stakeholders, review best practice case studies of similar successful rail trails, review the process of rail trail development, before synthesising learnings into a business case.
Project outcomes
There is support for an approach of two phases, starting with product and experience development to grow visitation and demand, and then development of the rail trail, in full or in stages.
If both stages of the plan are developed, the rail trail will offer the following experience.
There is no other rail trail in the Queensland Outback, so there is an opportunity to have an experience that is not available in other destinations, but well-designed interpretation and quality product experiences alongside are critical to offer a sufficiently compelling experience. This is because the region does not have the advantage of stunning scenery (as with the Larapinta Trail in Alice Springs, for example), or easy conditions to cycle in, and closeness to source markets, as many other Australian rail trails have.
Referee
Alison Shaw
Previously Arts & Cultural Officer
Blackall-Tambo Regional Council
alison@therightgrant.com.au
www.barcooway.com.au
Mentoring on Creating Transformational Experiences
Tourism & Events Queensland
Tourism & Events Queensland
The state tourism organisation, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) recently re-branded Queensland with a new ‘Travel for Good’ brand.
Travellers are actively seeking experiences that enrich, awaken and transform them. They want to ignite something new within themselves by consciously connecting with and appreciating our extraordinary planet, its people and cultures.
TEQ developed The Ultimate Transformational Experience Guide which focuses on seven steps to creating better value for guests and businesses. The aim is to enable operators to transform their experience offering and business to meet and exceed the needs of the travellers, helping to put Queensland’s operators at the forefront of a global travel movement and increase their bookings and revenue.
The guide provides operators and event organisers with insights and knowledge about
what Queensland’s new brand means in practice
the changing needs and expectations of travellers
the Five Stages of Travel that guests go through
how to design and deliver exceptional transformational experiences through each of the stages
how to deepen engagement with guests
ways to differentiate an experience through innovation and enhancing the competitive advantage.
Project purpose
TEQ ran an PILOT Experience Design Program to help businesses implement the learnings in The Ultimate Transformational Experience Guide, understanding that the most effective results are realised through one-on-one mentoring.
Project overview
The program involves up to ten hours mentoring and about twenty hours additional commitment over a two-month period to complete the Experience Design program:
Preparation work such as a basic review of operator’s website and social media and Best of Queensland Experiences Program Report provided by TEQ using a standardised template provided
An initial face-to-face meeting to discuss the details of the guide, review the mentee’s self-assessment results, and identify key areas of focus
One or two follow up video conference meetings to review progress, and identification of three to five actions to enhance the mentee’s visitor experience/s
A brief report to TEQ on the outcomes of the mentoring using a standardised template provided.
Project outcomes
Tilma Group has been impressed with the level of commitment of program participants, and their willingness to evolve, and plan for a strong future.
We are offering pragmatic support around how participants can align with Queensland’s Travel for Good principles.
We are taking a deep dive into the travel journeys of their visitors and identifying what they can do at each stage to enhance or add things that will bring the brand principles to the forefront.
The biggest gap has been in sharing – the participants had not recognised the importance of sharing when they do something good for the community, the environment or humanity.
“I wanted to congratulate you – well done – absolutely nailed the brief on TEQ’s Experience Design Mentoring Program! Keep up the great work!”
Referee
Alex Perpich
Events and Experiences Specialist
Tourism and Events Queensland
GPO Box 328, Brisbane QLD 4001
07 3535 5612
Alex.Perpich@queensland.com
www.teq.queensland.com
Experience Development Program
Brisbane Economic Development Agency
Brisbane Economic Development Agency
Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) is the regional tourism organisation for the Brisbane Region which includes the urban areas of Brisbane, Ipswich, and City of Logan, the coastal areas of Moreton Bay Region, and Redlands Coast, and the rural Scenic Rim and Somerset.
Project overview and purpose
Tourism & Events Queensland’s Best of Queensland Experiences (BOQE) guides operators on how to develop and deliver exceptional transformational experiences, and also provides operators with an annual report based on consumer reviews. Those experiences rated ‘best’ are included in TEQ’s database accessed by staff when planning marketing and activity, as well as other benefits.
The 2021 BOQE results for Brisbane Region identified an opportunity to increase the number of tourism products in the region becoming eligible for TEQ’s initiatives.
BEDA wanted a program developed to increase the number of BOQE products across the region, as part of BEDA’s global readiness program; a capability pathway to develop skills, grow businesses, and align to the destination’s brand pillars. The goal was to develop more exceptional and transformational experiences across the region.
Project outcomes
With JJ Strategic Consulting, Tilma Group developed a tailored and innovative Best of Brisbane Region Experience support program for operators of the Brisbane region.
A handbook and 13 self-paced online modules were developed to increase conversion of eligible tourism experiences into TEQ’s BOQE program. A business’ annual BoQE report helps the business owner identify modules to focus on.
Referee
Cathie Johnston
Experience Development & Partnerships Manager
Brisbane Economic Development Agency
0406 314 454
cjohnston@brisbane-eda.com.au
www.brisbane-eda.com.au
www.visitbrisbane.com.au
Visitor Servicing Review
Tourism Central Australia
Tourism Central Australia
Tourism Central Australia (TCA) operates a multi-award-winning visitor information service in Central Australia, with the Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre (VIC) as the service hub.
Technology and changes in consumer behaviour have altered how people access information and make travel decisions. Visitor service providers must be proactive, continuing to evolve and adapt to ensure they engage with visitors where and how visitors want to be served.
A new visitor services model is required that supports the principles of convenient, relevant and innovative multi-channel access for visitors; maximisation of economic benefits; use of the right tools and resources; and collaboration amongst stakeholders.
“I am very excited by this document. Linda and Jayne have gone above and beyond expectations. They have provided a far more detailed and region-wide report than what was in the scope, and in doing so have painted a very ambitious and exciting vision for visitor servicing across the Red Centre. This document will provide a great lobbying platform to expand and increase our visitor servicing across the region and service the customer in the best way possible.”
Project purpose
In the context of increasing use of digital technology for travel planning and bookings and declining funding for VICs, TCA wanted to ensure its visitor servicing model remains valued by visitors and industry stakeholders.
The purpose of the Visitor Servicing Recommendations Report was to identify the ideal visitor servicing options for TCA.
The report had to reflect the views and expectations of industry stakeholders, best practice in visitor servicing, the changing nature of visitor engagement, and the operating context.
There are a number of intentions that drove this work for Tourism Central Australia:
To operate a commercially viable VIC
To sustainably grow the visitor economy
To maximise value for TCA members
The report was also to support delivery on strategic focus areas in TCA’s Strategic Plan 2018-2023:
Investigate information delivery options and partnerships
Investigate a future ideal location for the VIC
Investigate the potential for the VIC to be a travel agency
Investigate new and grow existing revenue sources
Project overview
The approach to developing the report was:
Engagement was a critical element of the project to identify and prioritise visitor servicing needs and expectations of industry stakeholders and inform the report recommendations. The key elements included one-one meetings with TCA Board members, major operators and other stakeholders to hear their needs and wants from visitor servicing and the potential impacts of an updated location; and an online survey and use of social media to reach and gather the view of other key stakeholders not engaged otherwise. Skype/web/phone meetings and e-mail were used to deliver cost efficiencies.
The project
identified and reviewed the visitor touch points in Alice Springs and other destinations in the region
audited the current facilities and services provided by the VIC
reviewed best practice visitor information centres and recent research reports in terms of the elements critical to contemporary visitor servicing
built an understanding of current and future visitor markets to the #RedCentreNT region
gathered the views of industry stakeholders on their needs and wants from visitor servicing
reviewed the current VIC location and other potential location options in Alice Springs including co-location with the National Aboriginal Art Gallery and National Indigenous Cultural Centre
identified gaps and opportunities for enhancement of visitor servicing in Alice Springs
provided pragmatic recommendations to inform decision making on the future of visitor servicing in Alice Springs.
identified important enablers for the delivery of best practice visitor servicing in Central Australia
Visitors have multiple touchpoints when travelling to and through a destination. These touchpoints influence the quality of the visitor experience and decision making on what to see and do. The Visitor Servicing Review for Tourism Central Australia highlighted the importance of visitor hotspots such as attractions and rest stops as key touchpoints beyond the bricks and mortar Visitor Information Centres and the need for a consistent visitor servicing approach.
(This was a joint-project between Tilma Group and JJ Strategic Consulting.)
Project outcomes
Following the strategy’s release, based on a recommendation to service visitors further afield, Tourism Central Australia had discussions with the Northern Territory government about operating the Battery Hill Mining Centre in Tennant Creek five hours north of Alice Springs (the Centre incorporates the Tennant Creek Visitor Information Centre). A short term solution has been arranged with a 12 + 6 month contract, and the details of a longer term solution for Tourism Central Australia to continue to manage the site are being finessed.
In Alice Springs, Tourism Central Australia is in the process of finding a new location for the Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre that would better meet visitor needs. A number of sites were assessed to see if they fit with the checklist provided in the report on what a best practice site for a visitor information centre would include. A couple of likely sites were identified, and Tourism Central Australia is now seeking funding for pre-feasibility studies that would outline the costs of using each site.
Referee
Stephen Schwer
ex-CEO, Tourism Central Australia
Community Sustainability Manager
Diamantina Shire Council
Birdsville
0437 091 666
stephen.schwer@diamantina.qld.gov.au
Tourism Development Grant
Narooma Mountain Bike Club
Narooma Mountain Bike Club
Narooma is on the far south coast of NSW near the Victorian border between Bateman’s Bay and Eden, 220km southeast of Canberra, and 350km south of Sydney.
Local mountain biking enthusiasts together hand built 30km of trails over 4 years, then sought grant writing support from Tilma Group to secure funding to add another 50km of trails and a trailhead to develop a world-class trail network and mountain biking hub.
Project purpose
The Narooma Mountain Biking Hub would form the central hub of a South Coast regional network of mountain biking (MTB) trails from Bateman’s Bay south to Tathra and Eden and inland in Cooma - the biggest MTB region in Australia - lifting the region’s appeal for multi-day, interstate, international and year-round visitation by high-value visitors.
This would smooth highly seasonal visitation, create jobs, future-proof the local economy against shocks, and support the Black Summer bushfire-affected community’s physical and mental health with recreation, access to nature, and social bonding.
Narooma Mountain Bike Club applied for funding to build the trails from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund.
“Tilma Group did a great job getting across the detail of our project for the BLERF application and helped us produce a very professional application, which benefited greatly from their expertise in grant writing.”
Project overview
The Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund would cover 100% of the costs of projects that would support a bushfire-impacted community's economic or social recovery.
This project relied completely on the club’s faith in themselves and their potential trail, as their council, Eurobodalla Shire Council, was applying for funding for a competing MTB trail in Bateman’s Bay (Mogo) that had been identified in several of Council’s strategic plans. Additionally, Eden’s mountain biking club in the neighbouring shire to the south, was also applying for funding to build MTB trails!
The club’s project steering group was adamant that their trail would be the best of all of them in terms of the quality of the trails due to the natural assets of their region, and dispersal of tourists away from the over-tourism mecca of Bateman’s Bay.
Project outcomes
Just 30% of applications to the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund were successful - the grant was significantly oversubscribed, with over 650 applications submitted, and only 195 successful projects.
Narooma Mountain Bike Club secured $3.9 million, twice the average amount for the round. Mogo and Eden trails were also successful in securing funding, quite likely because the president of the Narooma Mountain Bike Club visited the region’s state MP and shared the club’s vision of developing Australia’s biggest mountain biking destination for increased visitation appeal.
In its first year of operations, the Narooma mountain biking hub is predicted to attract 18,200 visitors and $8.1 million in visitor expenditure and create 47 local jobs.
Together with other mountain biking destinations on the South Coast, the Narooma trails will create a large, regional mountain biking circuit that will attract interstate and international visitors - the densest collection of mountain biking trails anywhere in Australia, creating a truly world-class and globally attractive mountain biking destination.
Factors which likely contributed to the success of the grant application include
The club pitched a bigger idea to their State MP (and let him claim the idea as his own).
The club was ready for the grant opportunity: they had received a previous grant that enabled them to have a business case developed by an economist and trail design developed by a top trail designer which were submitted along with their application.
The club showed a very high level of community support by requesting numerous letters of support from a variety of community members, businesses, government representatives and departments (such as the Destination Network), the landowner, the Iocal Aboriginal Land Council, nearby MTB clubs, cycling organisations, users including youth, community groups, and business chambers. They got the story published by the media, and shared clippings with the grant application. They ran a community survey, shared trail usage stats, showed how many volunteers had been engaged in building and maintaining the existing trails, and shared the donations they had received, and even their merchandise sales!
The application clearly showed the project’s public benefit, and how it aligned with numerous local and state government strategic plans, and used quotes from government strategic plans to show the community’s need for such a project.
Referee
Georgie Staley
President
Narooma Mountain Bike Club
PO Box 127
Narooma NSW 2546
0409 224 766
info@mountainbikenarooma.com.au
www.mountainbikenarooma.com.au