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Tourism Bringing Businesses and Council TogetherRevised Structure for marketing and tourism. Bellingen Shire Council and the tourism industry will be joining forces to manage the growth of tourism in the Shire. At its meeting on Tuesday, Council approved a process to establish a revised structure for marketing and the management of tourism and visitor services. “This initiative is one of the key actions from the Bellingen Shire Tourism Strategy adopted late last year”, said the Shire’s Tourism Manager, Brian Stokes. “It is very important that visitors receive a unified and consistent message about what we have to offer – one that gets their attention and that they can relate to”, he said. The new centralised structure will see Council and Tourism Bellinger sit on a joint Tourism Committee. Tourism Bellinger is the peak tourism industry association representing tourism-related business for the whole Shire, as well as the interests of its Chambers of Commerce, Visitor Centres and environmental groups. President of Tourism Bellinger, Joanna Walker, said “Tourism Bellinger is recognised as the peak tourism business group in the Shire. We manage the Shire’s official promotional guide and website, so it makes sense to work closely with Council now that they have a strong tourism program.” “We look forward to working with Council and the visitor centres on delivering the best possible experience for the Shire’s visitors”, she said. The report to Council highlights the valuable contribution of volunteers in staging events, welcoming visitors and creating a vibrant and pro-active community. The new tourism structure will give better support for volunteer groups and provide the reward and recognition they deserve. CEO of Tourism Bellinger, Laurie Kane, said “Visitor Information Centres play a critical role in tourism, serving customers and managing information and sales. The remarkable work done by the volunteers in these centres is a great asset and they will continue to play that key role in tourism across the Shire.” The Bellingen Shire Tourism Strategy and the new structure are closely aligned with the wider Coffs Coast Tourism Strategy that covers tourism development across the three local government areas of Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca. “The exhaustive consultation that went into both these plans clearly identifies a need to have more formal partnerships in place to manage tourism and marketing”, said Bellingen Shire Mayor, Mark Troy. The revised tourism management structure in the Shire will feed directly into a formal management of tourism across Coffs Coast. “This will ensure the places and experiences in Bellingen Shire have the best possible chance of being noticed by travellers, and that our guests receive exceptional quality information and service”, said the Mayor. “Tourism is very competitive, and by working together as a well co-ordinated team we have a much greater chance of being noticed and attracting customers”, he said.
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© 2008 Bellingen Shire Council |
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