Regional Sustainable Tourism Strategy

We had a very productive workshop up in Mount Hyland on the 1st and 2nd of May, where we looked at concepts and possbilities for the Regional Brand. It was a very creative and intense effort, trying to syntethise all the ideas that came up from the regional conversations and discussions we have been having since the beggining of the process. We are now making sense of all the information that emerged from these collective processes (explicit and implicit ones).

Our aim at Mt Hyland was to collate and reveal sets of words, language and visual expressions for the tourism experiences in the region that best reflects what everyone has said to date. When we add this to the results from the place conversations and the graphic design components that we are about to start woorking on, we should be getting closer to a combined name-logo-imagery that really fits the the broad sweep of thoughts that all of you have come up with to date.

Any of these components alone (name, symbols or imagery) are only just bit of the whole image we are aiming to generate. It is the combination of verbal, aesthetic and sensorial elements that will really be able to communicate this new brand at the level we wish. And if everything goes the way we expect, the final product will be a close fit to the ideas of all those who have contributed to the work to date, and all of you will be able to see how your ideas have filtered into the final design.

So, the next step is to, together with the graphic design team, finalize the work on name, logo and imagery that will represent this complete and authentic image for this region, based on the shared brand concept designed by all of you. It’s hard work!!! But it has been really interesting and motivating since we have the support and inputs from stakeholders and community members.
Details on the Brand Concept guidelines proposed by the community and stakeholders can be found here.

The Brand Workshop will be happening on the 1 & 2 May, on Mt Hyland Wilderness Retreat, Dundarrabin.

Members of the community and stakeholder group will get together for two days to finalise the Brand concept Study, according to the findings from the Place Identity Conversations and the Niche Market / Regional Audit Research.

The aim of this workshop is to decide on how to portray the region to the selected niche markets. To decide on “what story to tell”, and to initiate the development of the Brand Apparel, the tools (verbal and graphic) that will be ued to communicate the brand.

More information on the outgoing of the Workshop will be posted here.

Since January (2007) we have been working on the Brand Concept Study for the Nature Based Tourism activity in the area between the New England and Coffs Coast.

During this process we had one to one conversations with community members and stakeholders in several places along the region.

These conversations were focused on local people’s views of what is special about their places, and the information collected was gathered in six Place Identity Reports for: Walcha, Armidale, Guyra, Dorrigo, Bellingen & Urunga and Coffs Coast. Click here to view the key place identity themes in each of these places and to acces the PDF files with the complete draft reports.

The findings from these conversations will be used as an input to the Brand Concept Workshop, where, together some selected stakeholders and members of the community will finalise the “story to be told” and initiate the Development of Brand Apparel.

The next Project Management Committee meeting is the 22nd of February at Cheyenne Wilderness Retreat near Walcha. To find Cheyenne driving into Walcha from Armidale turn left at the turn off just before the Show ground. I think signs point to Winterbourne. Follow this road out of town and watch for the Cheyenne signs as you go. Cheyenne is right at the end of the road, you will cross a ramp into grazing paddocks and follow the road along past the shearing shed and onto the home stead.

 For more information go to the Cheyenne website http://www.cheyenneretreat.com/index.html. Accommodation is available but please book directly with Burg and Sue. NFP and community members coming to the meeting who need assistance with accommodation costs please contact David Henderson for details.

Hope to see you all there.

After going through most of the information from the Community Workshops held in October / November, we have put together one map that combines and summarizes the conversations held in each place.

Only the key ideas were represented in this map, ideas that have occurred often and repeatedly during the meetings. We see it as one quick way to grasp the general feeling of the communities in relation to the tourism activity in the area.

Download and view the map here.

For a deeper understanding and more detailed information about each community, though, we recommend going through the maps and text transcripts for each meeting (all available on the right hand side links bar, under “Workshops Docs”).

Please post comments and discuss the outcomes of the workshops on the Site forum. Click here to post your comment.

Some key ideas and issues from each workshop:

Walcha:
- Target markets - low volume, high yield - work on return visits
- Website - accurate, safety awareness, interpretation
- Cultural Experiences - real Australia, crafts, heritage, friendly, personal guided tours
- Understand visitor’s perspective eg. non-English speaking visitors are out of comfort zone
- Working as one - network of transport, accommodation, guiding services
- Stick to core values - environmental education

Armidale:
- Comprehensive and accurate information to give customer confidence in their decision;
- Foster appreciation for the bush and highlight opportunities for education;
- Make information visible for travellers passing through, eg. motels, tourist stops
- Market for locals - take your holiday close to home
- Complete packages - making ecotourism attractive, promoting good health
- Effective coordination of network - local knowledge, community support

Guyra:
- Make Guyra a destination, not only a passage - the larger project to encompass a smaller, local one;
- Focus on the possibilities and opportunities and find ways to get there;
- Target specific markets with adventure and/or informative activities to suit;
- Package for independent travellers, families, etc;
- Provide opportunities to put back into the environment - a sense of achievement;
- Engage visitors with fun and educational experiences.

Dorrigo:
- Highlights diverse range of experiences
- Dorrigo Rainforest Centre as focal point for information
- Accessible and detailed information - where to camp, activities other than walking
- Understand the customer’s needs, motivation, capabilities!
- Manage visitation to conserve this pristine environment
- Comprehensive audit of activities, support infrastructure - all online and in print

Bellingen:
- Detailed communication (customer confidence) with packaging for easy decision-making
- Develop professionalism in industry and/or feature relaxed lifestyle
- Add value with educational experience, local/rural products and local guides
- Real ecotourism - build integrity and protect special local sites
- Offer themed walks and range of packages to suit visitors time, likes and budget
- Opportunities for self-guiding but with integrated support services
- Central coordination with great website

Coffs Harbour:
- Customer confidence in what they will experience/encounter…PLUS
- Surprises (good ones!) - undersell and over deliver
- Provide support - accurate information, marked tracks, sign-in/sign-out
- Set standards for service and environmental care
- Add value to experience by creating a strong sense of history - Aboriginal culture
- DON’T DISCOUNT THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT:
- It can still have variations, other activities, short walks and still be promoted as one track

Nambucca:
- Focus on special interest tours - Birdwatching, Aboriginal history, bush tucker;
- Variety of transport - cycle, walk and canoe…with quiet time for wildlife encounters;
- Clear signage, information, maps for traveller safety;
- Local elders, characters for memorable, personal experience;
- Provide depth of information and stories - knowledge sharing;
- Coordination with existing bushwalking & local groups, visitor centres, government, etc

More details on the results of the Workshops and Maps illustrating the key ideas discussed in those meetings are available through the link bar, on the right, under “Workshops Docs”.

Lots have happened since our last post.

The Marketing workshops in Dorrigo, Bellingen, Coffs Harbour and Nambucca were as successful as the previous ones held in Walcha, Armidale and Guyra. Lots of very interesting inputs and new ideas. It is good to see the communities taking ownership pf the project! Way to go!

You can access the text transcription of the posters presented by the participants during these conversations on the links below:

:: Walcha
:: Armidale
:: Guyra
:: Dorrigo
:: Bellingen
:: Coffs-Harbour
:: Nambucca

We are also working on conceptual maps that represent the key ideas brought to surface in each of the meetings, as follows:

:: Walcha Map
:: Armidale Map
:: Guyra Map
:: Dorrigo Map
(others to come)

Last week, Thursday 16th November, the Principles and Protocols workshop took place in Dorrigo, facilitated by Mick O’Loughlin. The outcomes fo this workshop will be posted soon in this blog.

The round of workshops last week held in Walcha, Armidale and Guyra were extremelly insightfull and successfull!

With around 70 participants, apart from highlighting the beauty of their country and their favourite tourism activities in and outside the region, some very interesting ideas arose from the communities in relation to sustainable tourism promotion in the area, such as:

:: Quality targeted advertisement;
:: Communication tools, using easy-spread information formats, as iPods and MP3s;
:: Packages: linking places and businesses for specific visitor markets;
:: Well informed guides: information + inspiration = education; and
:: Targeting Family / City markets.

Some shots from the workshops:

 

Walcha - Tue, 16 October

 

Armidale/Uralla - Wed, 17 October

 

Guyra - Thu, 18 October

If you would like to see more photos from the workshops, please, write us on: atdpproject@ecotourism.com.au

The first round of workshops for the Waterfall Tracks Network project started today.
At this stage the communities are being engaged on:

1. identifying their favourite or recommended nature based and ecotourism experiences and the uniqueness about them;

2. giving input on how we could make nature based or ecotourism experience more appealing; and

3. insights on which would be the best tools to be developed to help build nature based and ecotourism experiences in the region that would attract visitors from Australia and overseas.

The first workshop of this round was held today, in Walcha, and had the presence of key local stakeholder and community members.

The list below shows the dates and places of the next 6 workshops to be held in the region. They start at 12noon and finish at 2pm. A light lunch is provided.

We need your input!! Find the date and place that most suits you and join us in this exciting project!!

:: Armidale & Urala - Wed 18 Oct, Armidale Dumaresq Council
:: Guyra - Thu 19 Oct, Guyra Bowling & Recreation Club
:: Dorrigo - Tue 24 Oct, Dorrigo CWA Rooms
:: Bellingen - Wed 25 Oct, Bellingen Shire Council
:: Coffs Harbour - Thu 26 Oct, Southern Cross University [Rm MLG13]
:: Nambucca - Fri 27 Oct, Nambucca Shire Council

For more information, please, contact us: waterfalltracks@gmail.com.