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Week commencing Thursday, 6 April | 2017 | Edition 870
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Polocrosse expansion
Locals graduate from USQ
Stanthorpe businesses celebrate
Killarney picnic day Sunday
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Tourism watch By Jeremy Sollars
Doug and Liz Phillips of R on the Downs say our region has an enormous amount to offer through tourism experiences but we need to be promoted effectively, particularly "on the other side of the Great Dividing Range". Many operators have since voiced tourism promotion of the whole region She left the role in December 2015 and from the former Warwick Tourism and was replaced by board vice-chair and concerns about reduced numbers of Events body and Granite Belt Wine Stanthorpe tourism operator Marion volunteers at both visitor information Tourism. Carrick the following March, shortly centres, which sometimes close due to a lack of human resources. Funding to DSD was withdrawn in before DSD was disbanded. May 2016 by the present council with The Warwick Visitor Information After that decision the council enlittle warning given to its board, staff gaged consultant Mike Mahoney to Centre was shifted earlier this year and tourism industry members. manage the transition of tourism pro- from its generously-appointed space Prior to her election last March motion to the council, including taking next to the art gallery to the Warwick Mayor Tracy Dobie had been the over the management of the Warwick Town Hall, into a small downstairs implementation project manager for and Stanthorpe visitor information room some in the industry jokingly refer to as “the tourism cupboard”. Destination Southern Downs (DSD). centres.
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Concerned tourism operators across the region are watching council moves within the industry with keen interest. Southern Downs Regional Council last year took over the role of tourism promotion from previously-established arm’s-length bodies including Destination Southern Downs. Some operators are critical over what they claim has been a lack of communication between the council and the industry, which delivers millions into the region’s economy every year in the form of events, accommodation and the flow-on of goods and services. Others are prepared to keep a “watching brief” and are particularly eager to see what the new council budget holds for the hundreds of business across both Warwick and Stanthorpe which rely on and benefit from tourism, both directly and indirectly. There has been speculation that a new levy on tourism operators could form part of the council budget for 2017-’18 due to be released shortly for public consultation. The council last year took over tourism promotion as part of its drive to save money and to help deliver an annual budget surplus as required by the State Government due to its being on the Treasury’s council “watch list” along with other regional Queensland councils. Destination Southern Downs (DSD) was established under the previous council in 2015 to take over
It is also understood the council may make up for reduced volunteer numbers at the visitor information centres with interactive “touch screens”. The council has made its tourism promotion functions the responsibility of several key staff, including economic development manager Scott Templeman, with some operators questioning if the staff costs represent a saving on the previous tourism component of the council budget. Mayor Tracy Dobie has previously stated those officers are working on a new website and updated tourism publications, but operators say they remain largely in the dark as to where the council is at with those initiatives. One concern is over the ability of the new website to enable visitors to the region to book accommodation online prior to their stay. But paramount is a perception in the tourism sector that the council is not communicating its plans to promote the region effectively with industry members. Doug Phillips - who with wife Liz is about to celebrate six years running the luxury rural retreat R on the Downs in the Swanfels valley - says while he believes work is “going on behind the scenes” he and other operators feel left out of the loop. “Overall, I think the jury is still out on how well the council is running tourism promotion since taking it over,” Doug told the Free Times this week. Continued page 3
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