Part 1 - Shire of Ashburton

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Shire of Ashburton Tourism Strategy January 2011 6.0 DESTINATION MARKETING STRATEGIES Effective marketing is based upon the ability of an activity or program to positively influence a potential visitor’s decision making process. With limited marketing resources it is important to undertake cost effective marketing programs that can deliver real and measurable results. General “feel good” activities are no longer acceptable in today’s destination marketing. Marketing should be highly focused and tailored specifically to potential market needs. The Shire, along with local industry and agencies such as ANW, should develop a cooperative marketing program that only focuses upon potential visitor markets that can be readily influenced by external marketing and promotional activities. Travellers need to be given reasons to visit a particular region and generating experiences rather than promoting products and facilities should be a key element of marketing the destination. It is assumed that during the initial implementation of the plan (over the first 1 to 3 years) the majority of market types will be derived from Australian domestic sources with a focus upon the Perth market. International visitors will also be targeted however it is assumed that creating a heightened level of awareness in overseas markets will take more time. In terms of destination marketing principles, the Shire of Ashburton should; - Leverage off the existing visitor numbers to and through the region, capture this through traffic and convert into extended overnight visitors. - Undertake marketing activities cooperatively with complementary neighbouring regions to increase the numbers of visitors to iconic attractions such as Karijini NP, Millstream Chishester NP, and the coastal assets such as Mackerel and Montebello Islands in and around Onslow. - Undertake highly targeted marketing campaigns in conjunction with neighbouring regions, tourism focused local operators, and the ANW. - Undertake and promote major special events in shoulder seasonal periods. 6.1 Destination Tourism Branding In terms of general product marketing this is the age of specialization. Generalised marketing messages are no longer accepted and have been replaced with highly focused product branding. Branding is the art and process of setting yourself apart from everyone else, and for tourism destinations this entails focusing upon “must see” attractions and experiences that are unique to a particular area. The large distances between and diversity of its natural attractions means the Shire of Ashburton does not lend itself naturally to a typical travellers itinerary. It is always difficult to effectively promote a region that offers a range of diverse experiences. Focusing upon one iconic attraction can alienate other operators within that subregion however preferring to promote a mix of diverse experiences to “keep everyone happy” can also severely dilute any potential marketing message effectiveness. A regional tourism brand typically becomes a hybrid of mixed marketing messages and there are many instances where the overall effectiveness of the marketing program is severely reduced because of it. In the case of the Shire of Ashburton there are two key regional visitor experiences that should be the key focus of all brand development and promotion. ‐ Karijini (Tom Price & Paraburdoo) ‐ Pilbara Coast (Onslow) 43
Shire of Ashburton Tourism Strategy January 2011 However when analysing these attractions there is a not a natural visitor connection between these two core features. That is, a visitor to Onslow or the Mackerel Islands will not necessarily also include a visit to the Shire’s inland tourist assets such as Karijini, and vice versa. Large distances separate these two features and road networks do not encourage a natural visitor flow from one to the other. In many respects these two features appeal and attract different market sources. Onslow and surrounds is a fishing and diving hotspot and attracts this specialised recreational fisher group. At the same time its generous winter sunshine attracts retirees from the south of WA and its relaxed lifestyle, caravan sites along the water, and generally slow pace is a major attraction for repeat “sun chaser” visitors. Compare this to the typical traveller to Karijini, a self drive holiday maker (both international and domestic) usually on an extended holiday covering enormous distances, keen on sightseeing as much of Australia as possible, unlikely to have visited previously, and keen on undertaking unique and memorable holiday experiences. In many ways Onslow is a far better match and complements the Shire of Roebourne’s “West Pilbara Coast” branding and efforts should be made to either join this tourism branding cooperatively (ie from a tourism marketing perspective become part of the “West Pilbara Coast”) or at least closely align Onslow’s marketing message and tourism brand to this. Ideally, Onslow would fit nicely into the current marketing work done by the Shire of Roebourne and its www.pilbaracoast.com website. Under a cooperative regional approach directed by ANW, Onslow could effectively join this sub regional tourism branding. At the same time the creation of the Karijini tourism brand should be seriously considered. Tourism WA currently control the www.karijini.com.au website domain and the Karijini Eco Retreat owns the www.karijini.com domain. Approaches to TWA via ANW could see the sub region utilise this .au domain name to great marketing effect and the Karijini Eco Retreat would also work closely with Shire if the Karijini brand was to be adopted and widely promoted as destination tourism brand. Recommendation 16: that the Shire support the creation of two distinct visitor destination brands within its region; 1. Karijini and 2. the Pilbara Coast. Recommendation 17: Karijini should be the overarching “iconic” tourism brand for the inland areas of the Shire, and efforts to utilise the appropriate website domain names should be investigated with ANW assistance. Recommendation 18: Onslow and its surrounding coastal area should look to attach (or at least align) itself to the existing “Pilbara Coast” tourism branding (Shire of Roebourne). Again working closely with ANW investigate cooperative opportunities to develop a tourism branding based on visitor travel patterns and regardless of LGA boundaries. Recommendation 19: Incorporate this new branding across all promotional literature, visitor signage, websites and make available to local industry to utilise in individual marketing and promotion. Consistency in image/logo presentation is imperative when marketing to potential visitor markets and each destination’s visitor identity needs to be reinforced throughout all entry statements and appropriate tourism signage. 44
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Part 1 - Shire of Ashburton

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