Destination Action Plan - Latrobe

LATROBE MUNICIPALITY Destination Action Plan 2018–2020

June 2018

Acknowledgments The development of the Latrobe Destination Action Plan has been facilitated by Latrobe Council in association with the Cradle Coast Authority and with the support of the Department of State Growth.

The process brought together representatives from stakeholder groups that benefit from the visitor economy; local government, industry and the community to develop a Plan. This Plan seeks to identify the challenges and opportunities facing the Latrobe municipality and to establish achievable affordable priorities that, if delivered, would increase the destination’s competitiveness.

This is an action focused plan which identifies specific priorities and actions which, if cooperatively acted on by stakeholders, will contribute to the achievement of agreed objectives in the short term (rolling three years). As such, the Plan does not purport to be a comprehensive strategic plan but is deliberately focused on identifying the key challenges and opportunities facing the destination and on establishing achievable and affordable priorities and actions to address them. It should be a ‘bottom-up’ plan driven by the Latrobe municipality businesses which benefit from visitors and by the local community, while acknowledging State and regional strategic plans and programs.

Latrobe Council would like to thank all who participated in the plan development process: FACILITATOR Phillip Spratt PARTICIPANTS Mayor Peter Freshney

Gary Cody (Tranquilles Bed and Breakfast)

Jackie Hardy (Latrobe Council)

Clinton Downing (Parks and Wildlife)

Brian Wilson (The Crowded Lounge)

Michelle Dutton (Latrobe Council)

Sylvia Christie (Reliquaire)

Robert Buck (Parks and Wildlife)

Kim Christie (Reliquaire)

Jessica Aitken (Latrobe Council – VIC)

Margaret Cody (Tranquilles Bed and Breakfast) Images used within this document are courtesy of Tourism Tasmania, Tourism Australia, Darren Rist, Graham Freeman, Latrobe Council, Neil Hargreaves, Rick Eaves, Chelsea Bell, Chris Crerar, Jay Rowley, Brian Dullaghan.

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Introduction This Destination Action Plan (DAP) for the Latrobe municipality identifies priority strategies and actions which, if implemented over three years, will improve the district’s position as one of Tasmania’s tourism destinations, resulting in increased overnight stays. DAPs are an implementation initiative of the Tasmanian Visitor Economy Strategy 2015-2020 (T21), Priority #4 Building capability, capacity and community.

The DAP has been prepared by a facilitated workshop involving business and community representatives who considered and reached consensus on tourism development, marketing and management opportunities and challenges. The group then identified and agreed on the key priorities and actions that would make a positive difference to the growth and sustainability of the Latrobe municipality visitor economy and experience.

The Latrobe municipality covers over 600 square kilometres, extending from the boundary of East Devonport in the west to Badger Head in the east, south towards Railton and Sheffield and including the beachside areas of Port Sorell, Shearwater and Hawley in addition to the heritage township of Latrobe. Major visitor attractions in the area are Narawntapu National Park, the Cradle Coast Tasting Trail, Reliquaire, Port Sorell area’s beaches, locally produced food and beverages and local events and markets.

Actions emanating from this DAP should also take into consideration the Latrobe Council Strategic Plan. Other Council plans to be included in all considerations are: §§ Port Sorell Strategic Plan §§ Latrobe Township and Environs Strategic Plan §§ Wild Mersey Mountain Bike Development Plan

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The visitor economy The primary objective of this Plan is to maximise the visitor experience and increase visitor satisfaction. This will in turn result in more visitors, increased dispersal of those visitors across the region, increased length of stay and visitor expenditure.

Visitors to the Latrobe municipality and the North West coast region are substantial contributors to the local economy. Visitors include leisure tourists (intrastate, interstate and international), visitors to friends and relatives, business visitors, students and day trippers. Their expenditure is ‘new money’ contributed to the local economy which supports jobs, real estate value and the provision of services, facilities and activities in the community.

INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL VISITORS Interstate and international visitors to Latrobe are shown in Table 1. Of the 110,000 interstate and international visitors to Latrobe in the 12 months to December 2017, more than 47,000 just passed through without stopping while 9,000 stayed at least one night. Visitor nights for the 12 months were 47,932, down 37 percent on the previous year. Care should be exercised when looking at short-term changes. Trends over time give a more reliable picture, for example, the total number of nights increased from 28,676 in 2014 to 47,932 in 2017.

TABLE 1: INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL VISITORS TO LATROBE YEARS ENDING DECEMBER 2014 TO DECEMBER 2017

LATROBE

Objectives The common objectives for tourism are to increase the yield from visitors by increasing: §§ §§ §§ §§ §§

Visitor satisfaction Visitor length of stay Visitor expenditure Visitor dispersal (geographically and seasonally) Visitor numbers

The primary objective of this Plan is to maximise the visitor experience and increase visitor satisfaction. This will in turn result in more visitors, increased dispersal of those visitors across the region, increased length of stay and increased visitor expenditure.

December 2014

December 2015

December 2016

December 2017

% change 2016-2017

Passed through Looked around

37,055 48,646

50,321 62,014

53,732 46,433

47,224 53,467

-12.1% +15.1%

Stayed overnight Total visitors Total nights

9,919 95,619 28,676

7,485 119,820 30.467

11,371 111,536 75,486

9,438 110,130 47,932

-17% -1.3% -37%

Source: Tasmanian Visitor Survey year ending December 2017, International Visitor Survey year ending December 2017, National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) 2016.

EMPLOYMENT The tourism industry in Cradle Coast region has been relatively static between 2006 and 2015. The tourism and hospitality sector employs about 3,000 persons and slightly more than one-third of these are part-time employees (National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) 2016). In 2014/15: §§ Tourism sector represents 6.9 percent of total employment in the Cradle Coast region (approximately 6,800 jobs) slightly below the State average of 8 percent §§ Tourism in the Cradle Coast region is estimated to generate almost $500m in economic output annually, accounting for over 4,000 direct and indirect jobs §§ Major tourism-related industries are accommodation and food services.

Source: Tasmanian Visitor Survey year ending December 2017, International Visitor Survey year ending December 2017, National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) 2016.

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DIAGNOSTIC RATING Industry research indicates that the following factors are present in successful destinations that are achieving their objectives. A focus on continuous improvement of all these factors will contribute to the growth and sustainability of the visitor economy of the Latrobe Municipality.

Success factors Characteristics

Rating Comments

1. Supportive communities which understand and value tourism

5

2. Strong local tourism organisations focussed on their core role of visitor servicing

5

3. Strong regional tourism organisations focussed on their core role of regional marketing and development 4. Local Government support

4

5. Strong, consistent and effective leadership by individuals and/or organisations

5

The RTO was seen as not engaging with the area as a whole and having a limited knowledge of the local area This was seen as being short of support on the ground which came down to $$ and while the move of premises by the VIC was positive there was more work required on the website, staffing levels and brochures The Latrobe Business Network was regarded as a positive organisation as were some individuals

6. Strategic planning for the region with economic, social, environmental and cultural objectives supported by local destination plans 7. Consistent visitor service excellence

4

This was seen as in progress but not progressing and needing a focus

6

Visitor service was seen as patchy, lacking consistency and largely volunteer led

8. Research driven cooperative marketing

3

This was seen as being critical to maximising the return from tourism

5

This was regarded as lacking and that a ‘point of difference’ was required to attract tourists

2

There was a general lack of awareness of risk management plans

9. A breadth and depth of tourism infrastructure, products and events matched to market demand 10. Risk management plans

6

This is seen as disjointed with not many understanding it. The feeling is that the communities needed a focus to be able to value it There was a lack of knowledge, questions were asked about who/what they were?

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Vision for the Latrobe municipality in 2028 §§ Providing what visitors want §§ Being constantly attuned to the diverse range of what visitors are seeking and adjusting accordingly

§§ Growing tourism education and awareness §§ Local community welcoming to visitors and having an understanding of the benefits to all §§ Consistent service delivery experience and provision of information/advice to all visitors

§§ Develop points of difference and leverage from these §§ Wild Mersey MTB trail

§§ Marketing and communication §§ Information bays §§ What’s On signage §§ Geo-fencing and Google Maps §§ Social media, digital resources and other emerging technologies

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Strengths

(that you believe should be leveraged over the next 1 – 3 years) §§ Historic buildings §§ Baldock Memorial §§ Parks & Wildlife and natural environment §§ Latrobe is often the start and end point of a Tasmanian visit §§ Word of mouth advice §§ Photo sharing via social media

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Opportunities (that you believe should be grasped over the next 1-3 years) §§ A campaign aimed at raising awareness of the Latrobe region and what it has to offer §§ Develop access to the natural things §§ Parks

§§ Family/seniors cycling paths

§§ Rivers

§§ River Road

§§ Pathways

§§ Flowers/orchids/fungi

§§ Walking tracks

§§ Sea and beaches

§§ Bike riding opportunities for all activities and all ages §§ Linked trails of interest §§ Wineries and vineyards §§ Food and produce §§ Sights – historic buildings, natural resources, etc.

§§ Spirit of Tasmania travellers §§ Waiting in the Latrobe area before getting on the boat §§ Often completely unaware of what’s available to do and wishing they could have allowed more time §§ Local advice a key element – word of mouth, recommendations

§§ Geo-fencing and social media §§ Requires correct listing on Google Maps §§ Instagram, Facebook and Weibo

Challenges (that could be addressed in the next 1 – 3 years) §§ Built environment needs work §§ Boating hire and awareness of boat ramp facilities §§ Dooley’s Hill tracks need to be well maintained §§ A disjointed community approach to the benefits of tourism and tourists

§§ Pushing ourselves to do better and more of what we are naturally good at §§ Hard for tourists to find us and find out what is available in the municipality §§ Council website is unusable for tourists

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Action Plan implementation The following Action Plan outlines priorities and actions as a guide for stakeholders to collaboratively and cooperatively implement the Plan. To facilitate this, an Implementation Leadership Group (ILG) of representatives will be formed. A key consideration will be the availability and securing of resources to progress the implementation of the Plan in a timely manner. It may also be appropriate and necessary to involve other organisations and to seek funding for specific projects. The Plan does not commit any organisation to the actions proposed but is a guide to pursuing priorities and actions which will make a positive difference to the achievement of the tourism objectives noted above.

The priority actions have been assigned a KPI priority rating as a guide. These ratings are: HIGH

within the first year

MEDIUM within one to two years LOW

within three years

A review of progress of implementation of the Plan will be undertaken annually by the Department of State Growth in consultation with the Implementation Steering Group. This may result in a revision and updating of the Plan. A new plan will be prepared in three years.

The following organisations have been identified to have a role to consider the DAP and progressively work together to implement the priority actions: §§ Latrobe Council (LC)

§§ Parks & Wildlife Service (PWS)

§§ Cradle Coast Authority(CCA)

§§ Latrobe Business Network (LBN)

§§ Department of State Growth (DSG)

§§ Shearwater Village Business Group (SVBG)

§§ Tourism Tasmania (TT) This may include nominating representatives to form the core of an Implementation Leadership Group (ILG) or to be involved in specific projects. The ILG should keep all of these groups informed of progress and engaged as required.

IMPLEMENTATION LEADERSHIP GROUP (ILG) The core role of the ILG is not to implement actions, it is to manage the implementation process, monitor progress and ensure that KPI’s are reviewed annually. It is important that the ILG keeps all of these groups informed of progress and engaged as required.

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Summary of Priorities 1. Develop a collaborative communication and liaison sub-committee/group for the common good 2. A sense of identity 3. Visitor engagement It is important that the Implementation Leadership Group (ILG) reviews the priorities to ensure they are achievable before wider circulation of the Plan.

This will be assisted by a representative from CCA.

PRIORITY 1 Develop a collaborative communication and liaison sub-committee/group for the common good

Actions

Organisations

Priorities

1. Drive from local government in a two-way contribution a. Open channels of communication between Council, GM and business owners

LC, LBN, SVBG

High

2. Form a group by leveraging off Latrobe Business Network and Shearwater Village Retailers Group

LC, LBN, SVBG, P&WS

High

LC, LBN, SVBG, CCA, P&WS

High/Medium/ Low

a. Within the group structures as a joint sub-group of 7-10 people, 3/4-5 from each b. Young business owners are key partners and must be involved; together with new operators and established business owners as a truly representative group

c. Identify the existing tourism business viewpoint in the area d. Ray Becker (Parks & Wildlife, Narawntapu) e. Specialist Chinese tour group operators

3. Professionalise the visitor experience a. Developing a central theme of visitor experience in the area is a crucial focus point for all promotional activity b. Developing access to the natural things e.g. parks, rivers, pathways, walking tracks, family/seniors cycling paths, River Road, flowers/orchid/fungi, sea and beaches c. Bike riding opportunities for all ages including linked trails of interest such as wineries and vineyards, food and produce, sights – historic buildings, natural resources etc. d. Business networks an influence for growth

e. Strong Cradle Coast Authority and Latrobe Council tourism messaging and marketing f. Targeting people as influencers of change g. Growing a stronger service mentality in businesses and the community as a whole h. Message consistency for visitors i. Has to be positive in all aspects

Legend

CCA Cradle Coast Authority DSG Department of State Growth

LC Latrobe Council LBN Latrobe Business Network

SVBG Shearwater Village Business Group P&WS Parks and Wildlife Service

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PRIORITY 2 A sense of identity

Actions 1. Develop a unique theme for the area a. Developing a central theme of visitor experience in the area is a crucial focus point for all promotional activity such as, but not necessarily, a town of markets and antiques b. Needs someone to drive/manage – linked to the leadership group

3. Physical resources that can reflect chosen identity/theme a. Fact sheets and maps – Marjorie Brotheridge’s map b. Colour coded to reflect particular interests c. Roadside information bays

Priorities

LC, CCA, P&WS

High

CCA, LC, LBN, SVBG, P&WS

High/Medium

LC, LBN, SVBG

Medium

c. Identify existing strengths and diversity to catalogue what we have d. The defining point of an information network

2. Digital footprint a. Hashtag (#) naming for Instagram and other social media b. Involve the community via digital platform c. The theme defines the messaging

Organisations

d. Calendar of seasonal happenings that will interest and attract visitors – with regular updates

d. What’s on signage e. Street furniture and signage – need sense of arrival and clear directional signage, especially to beaches

Legend

CCA Cradle Coast Authority DSG Department of State Growth

LC Latrobe Council LBN Latrobe Business Network

SVBG Shearwater Village Business Group P&WS Parks and Wildlife Service

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PRIORITY 3 Visitor engagement plan

Actions 1. Geo-fencing programme for municipality a. Correct Google Maps listing is important b. May need technical support for business owners 2. Social media a. Theme will define the style of delivery b. Instagram is no. 1 – needs a hashtag (#) c. Weibo is Chinese first choice d. Facebook is good, Twitter is not as important 3. Knowledge and mutually beneficial collaboration a. Community champions/ambassadors – visitor information b. Volunteers c. Business owners/operators d. Working with other destinations for mutual benefit e.g. Cradle Mountain, MONA, etc.

Organisations

Priorities

LC, LBN, SVBG, CCA

Low

LC, LBN, SVBG, P&WS, CCA

High

LC, CCA

High/Medium/ Low

Legend

CCA Cradle Coast Authority DSG Department of State Growth

LC Latrobe Council LBN Latrobe Business Network

SVBG Shearwater Village Business Group P&WS Parks and Wildlife Service

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