The Whitsundays Tourism Opportunity Plan - Tourism Queensland

2 Methodology
Blue
Pearl Bay, Hayman Island
This document is an update of the Mackay Whitsundays Regional
Tourism Investment and Infrastructure Plan (RTIIP) 2006-2016. This
particular document however, relates only to the Whitsundays region
(a separate document has been developed for the Mackay region).
The original Mackay Whitsunday RTIIP was the very first created in
Queensland. This new document focuses on the priority catalyst
projects for the Whitsunday region as determined in consultation
with the Queensland State Government, Whitsunday Regional
Council, Whitsundays Marketing and Development, Regional
Development Australia Mackay Whitsunday Issac (RDA) and
industry. This reflects the change in priorities over the last five years
and also notes that some of the existing catalyst projects identified
in the previous RTIIP have already been completed.
2.1 TOP Development Methodology
The methodology undertaken to develop The Whitsundays RTIIP in
2006 and subsequently this TOP in 2012 included the following key
steps:
Review of existing background research, reports and literature
with relevance to tourism in the Region;
Consultation with a wide range of stakeholders throughout
this project through one-on-one interviews, attending council
meetings and hosting interactive stakeholder forums;
Analysis of key tourism product gaps and opportunities for the
Region;
Prioritisation of tourism product opportunities against agreed
criteria; and
Review of proposed projects with key stakeholders to develop
final plan.
Stakeholders consulted throughout the project included
representatives from:
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■
Federal Government
State Government
Local Government
Regional Tourism Organisations
Tourism Associations
Local Tourism Organisations
Tourism operators
2.2 Project Assessment Criteria
A wide variety of projects have been put forward as part of the
region’s TOP process. In order to undertake an initial assessment
of the feasibility of these projects a set of assessment criteria were
developed in consultation with key stakeholders. The agreed criteria
for the assessment of the identified TOP projects were:
Target Market Aligned – does the project meet the needs of
growth target markets for the region?
Destination attributes – does the project capitalise on a
particular destination attribute that would stimulate destination
appeal & visitor interest?
Regional Growth – does the project have the potential to
stimulate growth in the Region over the next 10 years?
Value Added Experiences – does the development of new
products complement rather than unnecessarily compete with
existing products?
Stakeholder Support – does the project have a strong level of
interest from local stakeholders and is the project aligned with
the vision for the region and community aspirations?
Sustainability – do the likely net benefits of the project span
across the social, environmental and/or economic outcomes for
the Region?
Strategic Alignment – does the project align with Local, State
or Federal Government priorities and is it likely to gain support
from the decision makers?
Based on the agreed set of assessment criteria, the identified
projects for the Region’s TOP have been classified into one of the
following categories:
Catalyst Projects – There are the seven catalyst projects
identified for the Whitsunday region. These are tourism
investment or infrastructure projects of regional significance
and which are expected to act as catalysts to generate a range
of other investment, marketing and product development
opportunities.
Key Infrastructure Projects – These region-wide projects are
tourism infrastructure projects which address identified region
wide issues and are expected to act as enablers for further
investment and product development opportunities.
Investment Opportunities – A number of other tourism
investment or infrastructure projects are highlighted as potential
investment, marketing and product development opportunities
for the Region.
2 Methodology
7