Tourism Development High on the Shire’s Agenda
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Published on Wednesday, 4 November 2020 at 11:29:00 AM
The Shire of Coolgardie and Tourism WA, hosted a Western Australian Tourism - Our Story deep dive workshop on Friday, October 30 to help define and improve the region’s tourism offering.
Local tourism operators, businesses, and community organisations attended the interactive workshop which was designed to obtain feedback on what they love about Coolgardie and the broader region, so this message can be conveyed to visitors and potential visitors through future marketing campaigns.
Tourism WA’s Our Story: The Spirit of Adventure project will help WA develop a strong tourism brand.
Tourism WA Executive Director Strategy Brand and Marketing Mollie Hill said the workshops were an excellent opportunity for tourism businesses to work together to promote their particular region.
“We know it has been a challenging time for tourism and so it is critical for our industry to align and collaborate to get the best results,” Ms Hill said.
“The Spirit of Adventure is the result of extensive consultation with operators around the State, as well as potential travellers.
“It’s the inspiration behind Tourism WA’s current Wander out Yonder marketing campaign, which has been successful in encouraging people to get out and explore more of WA and support local tourism businesses.”
Shire of Coolgardie president Mal Cullen, who participated in the deep dive workshop, said its outcomes would support work the Shire was doing to encourage more travellers to stop over in the town, which is the gateway to the Goldfields region.
Cr Cullen said while more than 400,000 vehicles passed through Coolgardie each year, just two per cent used it as a stopover.
“Our focus is on bolstering the local economy,” he said.
“The longer visitors stay in town, the more money spent at local businesses.”
Tourism in the Shire contributes nearly $15 million per annum to the total gross revenue of the area. It includes nearly $11 million alone from accommodation and food services and the employment of 63 people. Twenty years ago, the town captured 12 per cent of drive-by traffic with similar vehicle numbers.
Meanwhile the first draft of the Shire of Coolgardie Tourism Strategy 2021 – 2023 has been prepared to guide tourism development and destination marketing for the next three years. The aim is to capitalise on the increase in intrastate travellers to ensure the long-term viability of the tourism industry. The draft will be presented to Council for review prior to advertising the draft for public comment.
The Shire is currently embarking on a program of improvements to several tourism assets in the area which includes refurbishments to historic Ben Prior Park, courtesy of financial support from Evolution Mining and countless community members who are assisting with the works. Interpretation signage is being developed as the Shire pushes ahead to reopen the park as soon as possible.
Also nearing kick-off is the refurbishment of the Coolgardie Post Office Complex. The Shire received State and Federal funding of nearly $1.25 million to upgrade the interior of the building which will include a larger visitors’ area, re-established jail yard, museum and community areas, business hub, indigenous training offices and a new function area.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Cr Malcolm Cullen
President. Shire of Coolgardie
P: 9080 2111
M: 0417 266 191
Mia Hicks
Director of Economic and Community Development
P: 9080 2111
M: 0458 115 557
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