New 10-year tourism framework out for comment

A major new tourism framework to guide destination marketing and management for the next 10 years was released for industry feedback last week. Covering the whole South West, the Tourism Destination Management Plan comes as State body Tourism WA this week confirmed Indigenous tourism would be at the forefront of how the State sells itself to visitors in the coming years. COVID-19 also provided tourism boffins a clearer chance to look at how to position the South West, based off feedback and economic visitor data. The framework, overseen by Australia’s South West, identified eight key areas for expansion and refined focus: adventure tourism, Indigenous experiences, stargazing, eco- and agri-tourism, unique stays, accessibility tourism, and arts, culture and heritage-focused offerings. The framework included looking at what was needed to boost tourism, how to orient to meet clear demand, and workforce issues to deliver on what was promoted. Other key studies — including a worker accommodation project for the Capes region — were still under way in the background. And this week the State Government outlined a new $8 million tourism workforce attraction program. During framework consultation, Australia’s South West found 64 per cent of operators sought fresh, updated materials to market the region. Their priorities were focused on off-peak visitation, improving connections and infrastructure within the region, and protecting the environment and cultural assets from any negative consequences. Audience development, sustainable growth and digital innovation were also identified as priorities by respondents. While only four Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses were identified across the South West, growth and support in this sector was highlighted, with pending benefits from the South West Boojarah native title settlement expected to bring more indigenous operators and experiences into the mix. Developing the framework found unclear and often competing messages from different sub-regions was exacerbated by lack of co-ordination and shortfalls in marketing communication. Lack of funding for niche experiences such as trails, as well as harnessing high-yield and mature travellers were also identified as challenges. The sheer geographic scale of the South West and shortfalls in travel infrastructure were also outed in the report. Margaret River-Busselton Tourism Association chief executive Sharna Kearney urged all operators to have a say. “The TDMP will become the guiding blueprint to inform decision making, investment and capacity development in the region over the next decade,” she said. “This is an important process which will affect our future as a region.” The framework was out for final comment until August 29.