Part 1 - Shire of Ashburton

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Shire of Ashburton Tourism Strategy January 2011 6.2 Australia’s North West The Australia’s North West RTO is the professional destination marketing body representing the tourism industry within the Shire of Ashburton. External marketing activities typically undertaken by the ANW include the production of major visitor collateral, an extensive holiday planner, distribution to interstate and overseas travel industry, attendance at consumer shows such as the caravan and camping shows held in major state capital cities, hosting travel media and industry familiarisations, maintaining consumer and industry websites and the like. These external marketing activities have been carried out with Shire of Ashburton support on an inconsistent basis over the past 5 years. While the Australia’s North West works to promote the broader region’s profile to external trade and consumer markets there is a role for the tourism sub region destinations within the Shire to undertake highly targeted external marketing and promotion under their own branding or in cooperation with neighbouring regions where similarities exist. Recommendation 20: for the Shire to work closely with the Australia’s North West RTO, undertake marketing programs cooperatively and to utilise the ANW’s tourism marketing expertise in developing tourism destination branding. 6.2.1 Visitors do not recognise invisible boundaries Visitors travelling to and through a destination do not make an effort to stay within nor care about local government boundaries. It is therefore important to market and develop cooperatively with other attractions in neighbouring regions and beyond. In the end, the ultimate goal is to keep visitors in the region long enough so that more money is spent and ultimately visitors choose to overnight locally. Within tourism development a primary rule remains that the more a destination has to offer collectively, the longer visitors are likely to stay, and the longer they stay, the more money that is spent. Recommendation 21: for the Shire to support local tourism industry marketing initiatives and to actively cooperate and network with complementary and neighbouring tourism industry. Leaders within the local tourism industry to become actively involved in a number of tourism industry groups and associations and the Shire to be an active driver of networking amongst the various Pilbara and neighbouring region. 6.3 Marketing Strategies 6.3.1 Improve the business and tourism image of the region. Although keen to work more closely, the Shire must differentiate its distinct visitor destinations from surrounding shires and create strong reasons for tourism businesses to consider investing within Ashburton. Improved destination branding, and more tangible physical improvements to towns via revitalisation programs will work to achieve this. Recommendation 22: to create strong tourism brands for its destinations and to include visitor needs in all town revitalisation plans. 45
Shire of Ashburton Tourism Strategy January 2011 6.3.2 Get the locals on side. A deliberate and proactive campaign supported by coordinated and consistent messaging (and actions) is required to build confidence, acceptance and support for this direction. Establishment of an education and communication program to ensure visitors, local businesses, local government and the community understand community values and tourism. 6.3.3 Strong relationship between local industry and Shire of Ashburton required. In order to achieve a successful and economically sustainable local tourism industry, there must be a collective approach between local government and motivated local industry. Without this cooperative understanding underpinning the efforts to develop tourism, rarely will a destination achieve its full visitor potential. The tourism development potential of Ashburton exists and is undeniable, however a more cooperative approach is required between all local stakeholders if this potential is to be realised. It is also acknowledged that the development of a visitor industry within the Shire is implemented in an environment of limited human and financial resources. Tourism is just one element of successful community development and management and therefore must compete for its share of resource allocation. Efficient and effective application of LGA resources is therefore required. Recommendation 23: Investigate interest from local tourism industry operators for the forming of a “tourism advisory group” that would open direct communication channels with the Shire and enable the development of tourism based ideas and the like. 6.3.4 Creation of a Tourism Advisory Group (TAG). This could have joint representation from local tourism industry leaders, Shire, local business group representatives, and agencies such as the ANW, with the goal to implement a more proactive approach to marketing the Shire of Ashburton as a visitor destination. The TAG would be an advisory body that meets 3 to 4 times each year to review past promotional campaigns and provide recommendations for future destination marketing activities. Recommendation 24: Create the Ashburton Tourism Advisory Group by calling for expressions of interest amongst local tourism industry operators, senior Shire tourism staff, ANW representation, and administered by the Shire. 6.3.5 Online Marketing. A tourism website for the Shire already exists and is a webpage within the Shire’s general website offering a range of useful visitor information, www.ashburton.wa.gov.au/tourism. The Tom Price Visitor Centre also operates its own separate website, www.tompricewa.com.au. The Shire is to be commended for maintaining this website presence however if a re‐branding of the destination is to be undertaken then this is an opportune time to revisit the destination’s online presence. An easy to search/find website name is considered essential. If ‘Karijini” is to be the focus of the branding then www.karijini.com or a close derivative should pursued. The Shire of Roebourne have adopted a similar simple yet effective approach with its website domain www.pilbaracoast.com. With websites, simplicity of domain name (less likely to mis‐spell, get wrong) and inclusion of keywords is the primary goal. Ideally, be part of the www.pilbaracoast.com website for Onslow and surrounds, and manage the www.karijini.com.au (or similar) website to promote the Shire’s inland tourism industry. 46
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Part 1 - Shire of Ashburton

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