Capturing our share of visitors

COVID-19 travel restrictions within New South Wales will lift from 1 June, and Eurobodalla Council is poised to restart promoting the region as a must-visit holiday destination.

Among projects on the boil while COVID-19 restrictions were in place is an innovative website that will enable local residents and businesses to personally invite family, friends and customers to visit.

“In-between bushfires and COVID-19, we had three photographers go out and capture 70 separate locations to showcase the destination and how much beauty still remains,” Eurobodalla Tourism manager Tim Booth said.

“We have been working to develop this into a website where local residents and businesses will be able to send iPostcards to their loved ones and customers to invite them to come and stay.

“We know that isolation has been hard for a lot of our residents and we are wanting them to invite their family and friends to come and visit now travel restrictions are lifting.

“The platform has been built to work across email and social media platforms and will be launching soon.”

Eurobodalla Tourism has also had videographers on the ground, capturing businesses and experiences, ready for promotion now that travel is permitted within NSW. Mr Booth promises there’s more to come, but acknowledges there is a balance to be struck.

“Just like after the fires, we understand some members of our community may not feel ready for visitors returning. It’s also important we support local businesses and start to rebuild our economy. We’ll be easing back into our promotions and the visiting friends and relatives campaign is a good place to start.

While acknowledging the tough times facing local businesses hit by both bushfires and the coronavirus, Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes said she was proud of the way the shire had responded.

“Tourism and hospitality businesses have shown their resilience and resourcefulness in dealing with unprecedented change and uncertainty,” Mayor Innes said.

“I’m constantly amazed by their positivity and commitment to their customers and the shire.

“We want them to know Council is in their corner and we’re ready to capture our share of what is expected to be a booming domestic tourism trade when restrictions lift.”

During the shutdown, Eurobodalla Tourism has upgraded its website, showcasing individual pages for each business.

Businesses wanting to ensure they are featured should have an Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) listing. This is free for all businesses in the tourism industry and places businesses on Eurobodalla Tourism’s website as well as Visit NSW and Australia.com